In the Shadows Between
by Lady Kathryne
Summary: Makarov is retired and Laxus is now in charge of Fairy Tail. First order of business? Discover who's behind the kidnapping of mages in and around Fiore. Second? Get to the bottom of his strange dreams. Third? Find out what's wrong with his kin Lucy and maybe along the way admit it's alright to fall in love too.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**:

All rights, characters and known situations belong to Fairy Tail's brilliant creator, Hiro Mashima. Everything else came from my own mind and I spend a little more time than normal in his sand box. In no way shape or form have I made- nor do I intend to make- a profit from this story.

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**Disclaimer 2**: I do not at all claim to own rights to the Pradesh family. They were created by the wonderful Desna and I bask in her genius as well and humbly thank her for her permission to use her characters to suit my own twisted need for entertainment! Sadly, they're not mine.

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"I'm gonna get you Alti!"

Laughter filled the air as a young voice answered back, "You can try, Nakul! _I'm _faster than _you_, remember?!"

"Hey, Nakul! No fair!" Another voice chimed.

"Yeah! You're faster than us!" One whined as Nakul pushed ahead of the rest.

"No way! I'm faster than Nakul!" A little boy yelled as he flew past the other children.

"Hey! Sai! Come on! You and your sister are both too fast anymore!" The boy in question grinned, chasing his intended target towards the outskirts of their village.

"Hey! Come on guys, they went this way!" Nakul grinned and led them down a different alleyway.

The group- including those being chased currently in their game of hide, seek and capture- made up just a small handful of children in their island clan who had banded together due to their close age. Each of them were born within months of the others and were each the children of important clan members. Their home was a paradise, untouched by many outside their unchanging world. The adults kept them guarded but saw that they grew well, trusting them to find their own paths into adulthood- when they felt it was time. Clan Aranea was one of the more reclusive clans in the central Grass Sea region, located on a small island just off the coastline. They were small in number- just 800 people made up their entire existence- but they were all strong and healthy.

Women and men alike were taught to fight, hunt and fish from a young age, and each person learned a skill- be it weapon making, fishing or weaving tapestries to tell the history of their people. Additionally, a chosen handful of women wove the silken webbing from fire-bellied widow spiders that lived on their island into their fabrics to create beautiful and intricate clothing pieces that they then sold to other clans in the region.

What most of the other clans didn't know, however, was the spiders their clan was named for gave them fast acting and very lethal poisons used on the tips of their weapons. There was only one known cure and the clan was careful about who had access to the antidote. It was the main reason they survived the wilds as they did, and one of many reasons why so few clans tried to war with them- rumors, once spread, were a hard thing to tame.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Alti! You can't hide forever!" One of the children called.

At the center of the children's' game of chase was a young girl with sun kissed, tan skin- just a shade lighter than her friends- and a head full of auburn hair streaked with varying shades of blonde highlights. Her trill of laughter echoed around them as they raced after her. It was their favorite game to play when they had a moment, and Alti usually offered to become the target for capture. They were all free from a day of lessons in lieu of preparations for the huge celebration to follow as soon as the sun set later in the day.

Ten-year-old Alti and her identical twin brother, Sai were born to the clan's priestess and one of their clan's strongest warriors. He'd married into the clan only a handful of years earlier, coming to them as a wanderer from another country seeking asylum from his past. He'd proven himself worthy of their trust, and their respect after he'd put himself through the clan trials- the same trials his children had just completed. Alti and Sai were being honored in said celebration- both for their magic mastery and their bravery during the trials of a hunt just that morning to earn their clan tattoos.

They'd been put through a series of tests- both physical and logical- to ensure both their maturity and their place within their clan, and both children succeeded with a speed that impressed even the usually stone-faced elders. Even more impressive was their ability to perform unison raids together with both light and dark magic types. The elders mused that because they were twins, they were able to overlook the contrasts between them in order to solve the problems ahead of them.

"Hey, where did she go? She disappeared again! I saw her running down this way!" Nakul pouted.

"Come on, I think I just saw her run that way!" One boy urged.

"We almost had her! She couldn't have gotten far!" Another huffed.

Nakul frowned. "She has to be around here somewhere! She's probably hiding in the bushes… I can ask the animals. They'll tell me!"

Sai snickered; he knew his friend hadn't yet mastered his magic well enough to ask a huge host of animals- not the likes of those housed within the village walls at least. Nakul was an animal mage, he communicated with them, not with words so much as emotions and mimicry. They left impressions of images in his mind and he conveyed those images to the people around him.

"That's cheating, Nakul!" Alti huffed from close by them.

Nakul's eyes narrowed. "Sai, did you see where she went?"

The young boy shook his head. "She must be in the shadows somewhere… _that's_ _cheating_ Alti!"

Giggles filled the air as Alti popped out of the shadows to tackle her brother- older only by twenty minutes. They wrestled on the ground for a few minutes, encouraged in their play by the cheers of their friends. Alti grinned when she pinned Sai on his back. "I got you, Sai; and it's not cheating if I don't _stay_ hidden!"

Sai rolled his eyes. "If you say so- hey, what's that?"

The children moved as a group towards the main streets of their village. It was as they turned a corner that their eyes widened in horror. Bodies of adults lay strewn on the ground, blood soaking the dirt where arrows and spears pierced soft, supple flesh. The scene before them was grotesque and a few of the children at the back whimpered as they heard terrified, pain filled screams.

Alti gasped as a woman fell dead to the ground in front of them with a spear sticking into her back. She whimpered when she recognized her as Nakul's older sister and ran for her home, hoping that her mother was still there and hadn't been harmed yet. She cried when she saw the woman, lifeless in the front hallway with a pool of blood under her. A large gash ran down her side and there was a large stab wound in her stomach.

"Momma! Momma wake up! I'm scared!"

"Alti, come on, have to run to the trees with the other women and kids! Another clan is attacking us! They're taking all the kids they can find… we have to get out of here now!"

"Sai… momma won't wake up! She's hurt! You can heal her! I heard the priests say you were learning advanced healing already! Sai, _please_! You know I can't help her like you can! _Please_, we need momma!"

Sai swallowed; he cherished the ground his family walked on. At just ten years old, the priests in his village praised him for his advanced control of magic and the way he used it to heal every hurt of those he loved. He even healed those in the village that continued to harass his family about his little sister. Even though his magical abilities had grown in the last several months, he knew there was no way to bring their mother back from the veil of death that cloaked her still form now; She and the unborn child within her womb were both gone.

He watched the shadows growing, reaching, and swirling around Alti and swallowed down his fears. His sister's magic was everything his wasn't, her darkness was the exact opposite of his light. She used the magic to give life to the shadows around her, and he'd even heard her telling their mother about the things she'd heard whispering to her within the shadows- whatever that meant. He knew well what rumors and whispers were spread in regard to his sister; he'd heard the adults call her all manner of vile things behind her back because she was immune to the poison of the fire-bellied widows- just as he was- and controlled her body's response to it. He heard people say they hoped she didn't embrace the darkness, but he watched her play with the shadows, watched as she danced with the darkness and allowed it to comfort her when she was scared, and he couldn't be there to protect her. She was strong too, but even her magic couldn't help them.

"Alti… momma's gone… she's not coming back. We have to find papa and leave!"

A crunch to their backs had him whirling around, eyes narrowing at the tall man in all black who had come to take them away. His clan markings were covered, but Sai knew he didn't care what clan these men were from. They hurt his family, killed his mother and unborn sibling, and made his sister cry. He saw his father's sword standing by the front door and bit his lip, calculating how quick he'd have to be to reach it.

"Don't think about it boy. You'll only hurt yourself, just come with me like the rest of your friends and there won't be any more issue."

"Sai… I don't wanna go with him… he's bad, I can feel it."

"You can't have us!" Sai snarled. He darted forward, his father's sword just in his grasp, then gasped as a sharp pain laced through his chest.

"**Sai**!"

The boy looked down, shock on his face at the sight of a nine-inch silver blade stuck into his flesh. He fell to his knees, blinked, and winced when the man before him only kicked him aside. He tried to use his magic, but the sweet caress of death called to him like a dream he didn't want to leave. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was his sister struggling and fighting to free herself from the vice like grip of the man who'd just stolen his life.

Across the world of Ishgar, within the walls of the Fairy Tail guild, the new master, Laxus Dreyar woke with a jolt. The blonde lightning dragon slayer shook his head, wiped the sweat from his brow and frowned in confusion. Since his return from Tenrou Island he'd had dreams of a small village, and, more importantly, a small girl in said village. Each night the same girl played the star and each night she was a different age. Each night a different well of pain and grief was present to both tease and torment his mind. He didn't know why, and he'd even broken down and asked a few friends from the guild that he trusted if they knew of any reason, but he still had no answers.

Tonight's dream had taken him back to the girl's youth. He'd seen this dream before, and he knew it nearly by heart as if it were his own past, but each time he had the dream it was minutely different in some way- each detail was a little clearer. The pain she felt was just as tangible now as when he'd first dreamt of her. She was younger than him, but not by much- he'd learned that when he'd witnessed more recent dreams- he just wished he could figure out why and, more importantly, how he was gaining access to such dreams and memories.

With a frustrated huff, he tore the covers back and stalked to the bathroom sink to splash some water on his face. Why of all times was he dreaming about a girl more than half a world away? what the hell was even wrong with him?

The sound of beeping from his lacrima com caught his attention and drew him from his brooding. He rolled his eyes at the sight of his friend's grinning face. "What is it, Bix?"

"Well," The seith mage grinned. "I have some not so good news, and then I have great news."

Laxus growled. "Just spit it out already!"

"Geez, boss, someone needs to get laid!" Bickslow snickered. "I just got back from my mission."

"And?"

"No luck. Still no answers for the dreams."

A frown marred the dragon slayer's lips. "Dammit. That was one of my last resorts."

"We'll figure it out man. On a different note, I stopped at home. Kaleb is with me on the airship back. You know how powerful he is. Maybe he can help shed some light on all this."

"Hn, maybe." Laxus sighed and sat down heavily on his bed again. "When will you be back?"

"Not too sure…" Bickslow turned to someone out of view for a brief moment.

"We'll be there in two days." A voice assured and Laxus grinned at the sight of Kaleb's blonde hair as the screen turned towards him.

"Is it just you two?" Laxus wondered.

Kaleb and Bickslow arched their eyebrows similarly. "Do you _really_ want to know?"

With a snort, Laxus shook his head. "That's a no, then. I'll have beds ready for you when you get here." He mused. "Your brothers are going to cause a lot of split eardrums; I hope you know." He huffed.

"Yeah, I know. Get some sleep boss." Bickslow said with a grin. "You might want to consider getting laid. It's always helped before!"

Laxus growled, "Good _night_ Bix," before he ended the call. With a roll of his eyes, he headed back to his bed, praying that his dreams would be calm.


	2. Chapter 2

01

The acrid stench of urine and disease filled the air as Alti emerged seamlessly from the shadows onto the run-down streets in the slums of Crocus. Her lip curled in disgust and she pulled the fur lined hood of her black velvet cloak higher over her head. She had a job to complete, and she didn't want anyone to see her moving about the streets until she was ready for them to see her. Her eyes roved over the crowds of people mulling about their lives, heads down as they hurried to and fro- each of them shabby looking and just a little too unkempt and dirty to be considered more than slightly above the poverty line in the city.

They reminded her of rats stuck in a maze, frantically looking for an exit but too desensitized to find a solution for their predicament. These were the ones without magic, those who were used by wizards for sick pleasure and amusement. These were the ones who would never see an easy day of luxury in their lives.

She chuckled quietly to herself and shook her head to rid her mind of the wash of pity that flooded her. Her magic had expanded exponentially and with it, her phenomenal control over the shadows around her. At the age of 14, her body had already developed into that of a young woman, a gift the gods themselves blessed her with, according to the few people she allowed close enough to her. She stood proudly at 5'9" and weighed a healthy 140 pounds with glowing, lightly tanned skin- a gift owed to her Boscan heritage. She'd changed from the young girl she was; the pain of losing her clan- of losing her family- had allowed the shadows to nearly consume her entire being.

She'd fought hard to regain control of herself, but by the time she'd won the battle, her body was forever changed. Her hair faded to a deep chestnut brown with only hints of blonde on the undersides. She kept her hair in intricate, beaded braids now, too afraid to keep it loose for fear of memories seeping through the stone walls of her mind that might remind her of her past; her mother had always worn her hair loose and she didn't want to see her when she looked in the mirror. Any time she saw her reflection with her hair down, she saw her mother and the memories returned, cascading in a flood until she was curled in a ball on the floor to protect herself from the proverbial onslaught.

She'd gotten more tattoos as well within the last two years to accompany the sleeve she bore on her left arm. Those tattoos- particularly the clan tattoo of a fire-bellied widow spider that spread clear up and across the left side of her ribs- and the multiple piercings, made her an exotic beauty and hid well the assassin she'd become.

Even her eyes were darker in color. Where once they'd been a bright grey, nearly blue, now they were the color of storm clouds over a raging ocean- another gift of the magic she'd been born with- the magic that had almost consumed her in her grief.

Time had definitely _not_ been her friend in many ways.

She left the sneer on her lips as she passed people in the streets. These were the insignificant pawns on the chess boards of aristocrats, trying desperately to change the outcome of their fates without any luck. Such was their lot in life, she mused as she kept walking._ Too bad the citizens of Fiore aren't as open as those in Bosco_. As she'd moved out of the slums towards the business district of Crocus, she'd passed some beautiful women and men already that she would have loved to share pleasure with after all was said and done.

Ah, well. There'd be time for pleasure later.

She had to get past all the rats first.

The lacrima at her side vibrated quietly against her hip and she sighed before answering it. "What do you want Crimivos?"

"Is that _any_ way to speak to your _best friend_?"

Alti rolled her eyes. "Now isn't the time. Give me the information I need. I'm tired of this place already."

"Targets are Eoca Lone and his son, Kesord. Kesord tried to double-cross the master and thinks that the power of his father will keep him alive."

"How original. Another father-son assassination." She snarked. "What's Eoca done to warrant his death then? He's just a low-level politician, not someone to lose any sleep over."

Crimivos snorted with amusement. "The master wants him eliminated. It's as simple as that."

Alti rolled her eyes once more. "I'll be home soon. You can expect to train with me when I return. I haven't forgiven you for the cheap shot to my back when it was turned, Crimivos."

The teen smirked, his violet eyes dancing with mirth. "Hurry up then. Master is planning something big for your birthday, so you'd better not make him wait too long."

Her eyes rolled again and she ended the call. There weren't too many people in the Bloodriver guild that she called friend, but Crimivos was one of the exceptions. He was a year older than her with violet eyes and rich auburn colored hair. He towered above her at 6'6" and loved to tease her any chance he got. They'd been paired together on many occasions by their Guildmaster over the last couple years and had both proven themselves to be highly efficient and trustworthy.

She couldn't help but think back to the day she first met him, barely hiding the smile from her lips. He'd been a brat then, and still was on some occasions, but he was her friend and she cherished said friendship. She didn't have many friends that knew of her past, and when she'd finally told him about herself- only after he'd walked in on her with her hair out of her braids and crying on the floor- he'd simply gathered her into a hug, telling her that he wouldn't tell anyone about her moment of weakness.

Thinking about his reaction to her story wrought a sigh from her lips as she remembered the reasons behind joining the Bloodriver guild. She'd run from the arms of the man who'd murdered her brother in cold blood, fleeing into the woods. Her magic protected her, allowing her to run fast to the shore that housed a small group of boats her dad and the other men used to catch fish while in the water.

The sight of dead bodies strewn over the beach was enough to make her cry in frustration and agony rolled into one. These were the protectors of her village and they'd been caught unaware and slaughtered by magic before they could defend themselves- her father among them. She shook her head at the sight of the open stab wound on his back marring his clan tattoo and shoved one of the less damaged boats into the water, hoping she could survive just a little longer to get help.

She didn't remember how long she'd been in that boat, but she remembered clearly the first sight of her Guildmaster. He'd promised her a place to stay when he caught her using her shadow magic to steal food in a small market area in Pelerno. She hadn't been fast enough to go completely undetected and the stall owner had her cornered before he stepped in and promised to take care of his wayward niece. With payment settled, he'd taken her gently by the arm and guided her back to his guildhall.

He told her she could have a room and a roof over her head and food to fill her belly. He promised her safety in a large group- something she'd not had in months. He didn't tell her that she'd be hit if she didn't listen to his every instruction. He didn't mention that she'd go without eating if she refused to show her bruised face after being hit. He also didn't tell her that his guild had a pecking system and she'd have learn to fight to survive.

It took her two years to ignore her guilty conscious at the sight of blood on her hands from fights she caused in the guild. The first death by her own hand was shortly after her 11th birthday during a fight between her and another girl, and now, at 14, she didn't bat an eye as life was snuffed from others by her hand. She only ever cried in the solitude of her rooms at night when the lights were out and the shadows surrounded her, offering a form of comfort she'd longed for since the day she saw her mother laying in a pool of her own blood.

Four years wasn't long enough to forget the feel of the woman's arms wrapping themselves around her, or to forget the sound of her voice singing her and her brother to sleep each night.

_I miss you, mother. You too, Sai. Please don't hate me too much, Daddy. I don't have a choice. _

A grin flitted across her lips when her magic flared and shadows swirled around her body. There were things in the shadows that pulled on her magic and always seemed to know what she needed. The monsters and shades within the shadows whispered so sweetly to her that, sometimes she was tempted to just give in to their beckoning. She didn't know what would happen if she lost control of her magic, but she'd grown and matured enough to realize that monsters in the shadows were very real. She could only muse that if she didn't keep a strong enough will, they really would bite the hand that fed them. Some of the things gave her the impression they'd love nothing more than to consume her very life and it was enough to keep her working to master every aspect of her magic.

For now, though, she'd let the monsters play.

When she stepped from the shadows again, a shining black leather, mini halter dress with strategically cut pieces along her sides clung to her body. The barest hint of a spider tattoo teased the men she passed on her way to Kesord. Her Smokey eyeshadow and thick black eyeliner highlighted the gray of her eyes and the mascara coating her eyelashes made them fuller and longer, only adding to the vixen she impersonated. All she had left to do was offer a smirk from her clear gloss coated lips and bat her eyes towards the target.

It took her no time to find the man. He spent his money uselessly and flaunted his wealth in the clubs of Crocus. She rolled her eyes when she observed the women clinging to him.

_Typical male. Egotistical. Chauvinistic too, from the looks of things_.

Kesord was hooked the minute he spotted her long legs walking towards him in leather, thigh-high stiletto boots. His eyes raked up her body, taking in the dress molded to her, to her hair and finally to her face and the sultry look dancing through her striking gray eyes. He left his gaggle of women and pulled her to him with a devilish smirk that, were she just another woman, would have sent her stomach fluttering.

"You, my dear, are stunning." He breathed.

Alti grinned and bat her eyelashes. "I should thank you for the compliment then."

"Dance with me…?

"Nex." She offered him a charming smile and followed him to the dance floor. This was her part to play and she needed to shine if she wanted to get past the man's defensive barriers. He still guarded himself too closely to draw a knife or other type of weapon. She'd need to get creative.

The crowd cleared the dance floor and screams rang clear over the pounding base twenty minutes later as Kesord's body dropped to the floor, his face already ashen with lifeless eyes staring into nothing. No one could tell the Rune Knights that showed up just who he'd been with or what happened. He'd seemingly dropped dead for no apparent reason, no weapons used, no attacks, just… swift death.

From the shadows, a blade slid across flesh, notching another kill into the skin under a wide leather band that was always worn on the right arm. Alti hissed as the metal made contact with her bicep, her eyes closing as a single tear fell from beneath tightly closed eyes. Fire-bellied widow venom was fast acting and, as far as she knew, untraceable, and no one in Fiore had ever heard of it. If she were anyone else, her lip gloss would have killed her as well, but she had complete control of the poison within her bloodstream. If someone wanted her dead by spider poison, they'd have to fight hard to make it happen.

_One down, one to go._ She huffed and slinked back towards the slums of Crocus. She needed to leave- lingering only drew attention. Once she was within the safety of the shadows, her attire changed again, and she became one of the unassuming populous standing in line to board an airship back home to Bosco. The weeklong journey was spent in her room, ignoring everyone else. She refused to leave the mindset of assassin and counted down the days until she could finish her mission.

By the time she'd danced into the guildhall through the shadows an hour later, her face was a stone mask of indifference. Eoca was harder to track down than his son, but none the less easy to kill. She'd even ended the lives of three other Fiorian politicians in the room with him when she'd listened to them talking about their ideas for more strict punishments for those they deemed dark guilds- death penalties without trials among them.

Alti never let anyone in her guild know that the guilt of each kill still festered into a soul deep pain within her. She just danced with the devils of shadow and chaos, each kill allowing her to move closer down the blade's edge into insanity. If anyone ever cared to look, they'd learn just how unsteady her heart grew, but until someone took the time to notice, she'd remain just another assassin for the Bloodriver Guild.


	3. Chapter 3

02

Enraged screams echoed through a crowded bar, causing the boisterous patrons to pause for a brief second of curiosity before the rowdiness returned. A smirk danced over painted lips as Alti, now an independent mage at the age of 16, walked out of the front door of Lupus Nocte- the local tavern in Deepmore. She'd just alleviated a man of all his precious winnings in a game of poker and stolen more than his money too, if the heavy crystal against the pouch at her hip was any indication.

She ignored the prickling at the back of her neck- she could swear someone was watching her- and made her way back to the run-down hovel of an apartment she'd rented for the last several months with a smile of her face. She disliked being in Bellum, but the work was decent, and it kept her far away from Bosco and Fiore.

She'd tried working along the border of the two countries, even spoken with the Helios guild about membership hoping to hide her shady past. They'd taken her in readily enough when they learned how well she commanded the use of shadows and set her to work within a week of knocking on their doors. It didn't pan out the way she'd wanted when a couple of the memory-make mages saw some of her scars and tried to force their way through the barriers in her mind. She'd fled the guild that night and made her way into Fiore, to Dawn City.

For six or seven months, she survived by taking lucrative, though mundane jobs, hunting down hard to find and exceedingly rare objects for shop owners before running in to more trouble than she could admittedly handle. Killing Rune Knights- accidental or otherwise was a convenient way to find oneself killed in Fiore apparently. Dawn City was a place to either survive or die, and she didn't have it in her to toss in the towel just yet, so she'd stolen away at night after making a deal with the owner of one of her favorite hotels- the Black Dove. She'd be back one day. Most of her former guild was still looking for her, she learned, and she wanted to stay off their radar for a while longer.

A sigh escaped her lips as she fell back on her bed with the crystal in her hands. The thing was riddled with powerful enchantments to ward would be thieves from handling it for too long. What she wouldn't give to stroll through Dawn City and hand this over to her contact there for some serious jewel. Her first instinct was to call Crimivos and ask him to help her figure out what she'd stolen before she frowned and put the lacrima back on the nightstand. It'd been two years since she last set eyes on her friend, indeed, since she'd last set eyes on her old guild or any of its members.

The Guildmaster had forced himself on her under the guise of completing her induction at the age of thirteen- a rite of passage in Boscan society meant to free a youth from their virginity. It was something that'd made her skin crawl already because most inductions were done by someone within the same age bracket- not a thirty something year old man. A year later, he announced that she was his intended bride- something she'd never agreed to being in the first place- on her birthday of all days. It was her present for killing the politicians from Fiore as the Guildmaster explained. She could still remember the horrified look in her friends eyes as she stared at him across the room.

A tear forced itself from her eyes against her will; she'd wanted Crimivos to complete her induction. Her feelings for him had grown from mere friendship into something more over time, and the look in his eyes when their Guildmaster announced he himself would have the pleasure of making a real woman out of her, killed her inside more than any assassination she'd ever completed. She knew he didn't blame her; he was shocked as she was when the announcement rang over the guild hall. His announcement a year after the fact that she was to be his bride was more shocking still and took all they had in them to not react to as they both wanted.

She had the sense to sedate the perverse man after he forced himself on her the night of their engagement party- the same way he had every night since he'd taken her innocence- and ran, allowing her magic to carry her away from the prison she'd known since she was taken in by the Bloodriver guild. Only a small handful of people were spared the wrath of the shadows she now controlled with flawless precision. Darkness was her element of power and the chaos she surrounded herself with constantly left few unscathed. It was that night that seared into her mind the determination to never lose control of her powers again, it was the night the monsters of shadow gave a face to their sweet whispers and the faces she saw still terrified her two years later.

She didn't stop to see who she'd killed; she ran from the suffocation that many had told her would be her home until she died, or until she was arrest and sentenced to public execution for her crimes. Only when it was safe did she drag her blade, deep and long, across her bicep- a reminder of the lives of her guild that she'd taken. The scar she sported now was the only reminder of all the sin she'd willingly committed at the whims of a jealous, overbearing beast of a mage.

She shoved the memories away, hid the crystal beneath a loose floorboard near her bed and made her way out of the rundown apartment she called home anymore. As an independent mage, she was able to work any job she wanted, and had earned a fair amount of money for her efforts, but she was still cautious and looked both ways down the street before exiting the door; she even drew her hood over her face for added precaution. She knew better than most what happened when paths were crossed with a dark mage guild. So far, her luck remained intact.

The feeling of being watched again washed over her skin as she made her way down the street to the weapon smith. She needed her daggers repaired after a week away from home. Ugh, she was going to spend most of her time threatening the smithy to keep his hands to himself. The man wanted a wife and told her numerous times she was the one he wanted.

A notice near the weapon smith's entrance caught her eyes and gave her pause. A mage was requested in a small town near the border of Pergrande and Sin. She knew how the countries felt about women- how they frowned on them, thinking them weak. She also knew that she could easily assist the person requesting help. Their child had gone missing and they wanted help to recover the girl. Simple search and rescue. Alti smirked and tore the paper from the board. She'd already paid her rent in advance and sent word to the person with the request that she'd be there within the week. She never noticed the men in the shadow of an overhang smirking as they listened to her affirm that she'd take the job.

A gasp left her lips as Alti woke to water crashing over her bruised body. She remembered now why she avoided going anywhere near Pergrande and Sin on a general basis. Now, berating herself, she took in her surroundings within the belly of the cargo train where she and several other women were crowded together, each of them in heavy chains. Screaming, the sounds of cloth tearing, flesh being whipped, it all raced to her ears and she winced at the rising cacophony of fear surrounding her.

She blocked out the fearful sobs from the women around her and tried to call her magic to her. She frowned when she didn't succeed and looked at the chains around her wrists and ankles. _Magic canceling cuffs_. _Clever_. They'd figured out she was a mage, and from the similarities between her chains and the others on the women around her, each of them held magical abilities. _Slavers, then_. She'd gotten herself captured by slavers- _so much for luck_.

"No! Leave him alone! _Please_, stop it!"

Alti arched an eyebrow and hid her reactions behind the indifferent mask that now spread across her face. On the other side of the train cart, a group of men were being forced to their bellies and brutally defiled for the enjoyment of their captors. _Tactical. Defile and abuse the men to scare the women into submission_, Alti decided. Then again, this close to Pergrande, she could also assume they were just taking their pleasure on the ultimately gorgeous males.

A loud, rumbling growl to her left sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. The woman who'd cried out was thrown close to the monstrosity that was a Pergrande berserker. More beast than man, the thing was controlled by one of the slavers, and lunged for the woman, intent on trying to shove itself into any orifice it could get its clawed hands on. Alti's eyes widened when the thing almost succeeded. _The slavers wanted to make a point then. They held the cards at the moment. We'll see about that_.

"Hey… are you alright?"

Crystal blue eyes met storm gray and Alti tried to offer her a supportive smile. _**Was**__ she alright_? She couldn't honestly answer the question.

"What's your name?" Alti settled on a safer question.

"Kayla…"

"Well, Kayla, don't be too loud… they'll make an example of you if they think you're not scared right now."

Kayla sniffled but nodded in understanding. "My friends and I… they caught us unaware. That man," She nodded to the mage now passed out from pain after being whipped and raped multiple times, "He's my husband." She whimpered when she took in the blood and semen covering his body.

Alti winced at the muffled screams coming from the men still awake before she turned her attention back to the woman and offered her a small understanding smile. She'd been out a while from the looks of things. "Where are you from?"

"They caught us in Stella. They raided our town, killed all the elderly… all the children… my boys… they were just nine… my twin boys… they dragged them from me…right from my arms…" Tears fell from her eyes.

"Don't worry Kayla, we'll get out of here, you'll see."

The woman shook her head, her blonde hair swaying with the motions. "No, we won't but I appreciate the attempt to comfort me. I heard from some of the slavers… they're taking us to Pergrande… we're going to be sold to the scientists in the capitol. The men are going right to the coliseum."

"It's pointless then. If they don't kill us in the labs, they'll give us to the berserkers to be blooded." Another woman said.

"I've seen how they blood them… we'll be chained and defenseless. Those abominations will take their pleasure from us… until we're dead from the pain and abuse…"

"If they don't kill us outright first… those things are monsters!"

Whimpers from the women around her, and the defeated looks in their eyes had Alti's anger spiking. "Don't give up! We can still get free! We can-"

A hulking man with black hair and dark green eyes sneered at her, his yellowed teeth clenched together in anger. "No talking, bitch! I'll throw you to the berserkers!"

Alti sneered back. "You'd lose your **pay **if that happened." Her accent was a little off, but she thanked Crimivos mentally for insisting she learn not only Minstrellan, but Fiorian, Sevenese and Pergrandian as well.

He sneered at her and threw her against the wall, smirking when the wind rushed from her lungs. "Don't think we can't replace you. You're nothing filth, but a washed-up slip of a mage, too stupid to not know the trap you walked into when you first saw it."

"Maybe you should keep the insults behind your teeth. The only filth here is you. Isn't that why you've not dipped your cock into any of the men yet? Too afraid they'll see that you have nothing of importance to use?"

The women's sobs slowed, not understanding the conversation, but all of them knowing that Alti was attempting to distract their captors. She took the man's attention off of them and placed it solely on her shoulders, even as his steel toe covered boot connected to her ribs.

"You'll be food for the berserkers, little maggot. I'll enjoy watching them rip your limbs from your body." He sneered, throwing her just out of reach of the hulking creatures, smirking when they scrambled over one another to reach her. He laughed at their outraged cries and cooed to them that they'd have their pound of flesh soon.

Alti sneered and spat blood towards the slaver. "They'll die first."

"The maggot's confidence is amusing!" Another slaver mused. "Let's see what we can do to temper her tongue before we get to Pergrande!"

The last thing Alti heard before the darkness took her was terrified screams and escalated sobbing from the women huddled together. They were using her as an example, each of them taking a turn to defile and beat her as a form of punishment to show the women what happened to spirited prisoners, but she was strangely alright with the idea. Once the chains fell off, she could escape. She _would_ escape, but first, she'd make these idiots regret everything they'd done to her and the mages in the train car with her.


	4. Chapter 4

03

The day started the same as any other, with the sun creeping over the still sleeping occupants of Magnolia Town. It wasn't until Lucy Heartfilia, resident Celestial mage of the Fairy Tail guild, was stepping through the doors of the guild hall that she knew anything was wrong. She eyed the scene in front of her with a small dose of caution and a much larger sense of curiosity. She knew most of the men in the guild were prone to bouts of violence, but the upturned tables, the broken chairs and splintered wooden beams this early in the morning pointed to one of the guilds' resident dragon slayers as the culprit. The smoldering wood narrowed it down all the more, but she wanted to be sure before she said anything. Not too many guild members were early risers and not many were this destructive first thing in the morning either.

Her brown eyes darted around the mostly empty guild hall: Gajeel was present and eating a bowl of iron (typical for the man), Wendy- (no way she'd get blamed for this mess) was present and hiding behind Cobra- also present (and eerily calm- stupid dragon), Natsu was also present and not fighting with Gray (for once). That left… she dodged a stray lightning bolt headed in her direction before standing tall and glaring up at the office where last remaining dragon slayer in the guild paced in his agitation.

"Laxus Dreyar, you stupid, obnoxious walking lightning rod! What is your _problem_?!"

Wendy gulped from where she stood behind Cobra. "Scary Lucy has made an appearance." She whispered. Cobra chuckled and even Gajeel snorted his amusement. Natsu chuckled by refused to make eye contact with the blonde in question, not able to disagree with the young sky dragon slayer.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was a dragon slayer too." Cobra mused, knowing the others could hear him.

"I think it'd be cool if Luce was like us." Natsu grinned and dodged a stray lightning bolt. His eyes moved to the office Makarov used to hold. Laxus had started snarling and frothing at the mouth the instant Mira had taken in his morning pile of reports. The lightning show hadn't stopped yet and those guild members gathered only hunkered down in places they thought weren't likely to be struck easily by his magic- namely nothing near metal (poor Gajeel).

Lucy growled when another stray bolt hit too close for comfort. "Oh, you're so dead you overgrown _electric socket_!"

A warning growl made it down to her in response and even Gajeel's eyes widened as the now enraged blonde celestial mage started towards the stairs. "I wouldn't do that Bunny girl… he's not in the best of moods right now."

Lucy only gave him a wry and angry look all wrapped into one. "When is he _ever_ in a good mood, metal face?"

"Ohh, Jugs has some bite to her this morning. What happened, sugar tits? Satisfaction running short after a night out with the girls?" Cobra teased, hoping she'd stay away from the stairs leading to their angered guild master- even if it meant she'd take her anger out on him in the process. He chuckled when Wendy scampered away from him to hide behind Natsu instead, hoping to avoid Lucy's ire.

"Oh, _shut it_ poison lips, or no more hemlock cocktails for you!" She had to fight to hold the glare directed at her more than mischievous kin this early in the morning.

Cobra shrugged and went back to his Nightshade and Oleander milkshake. "Your funeral."

"So be it." She snapped.

He smirked when he heard the resolute determination of her soul wanting to know what had her kin so upset. He shook his head in wonder and watched the lithe blonde stalking up the stairs towards Laxus' office. She was just as a stubborn as any dragon slayer, and would be his perfect match, if he'd not already claimed her as kin. No, whoever finally tamed that beast of a powerful mage in the making would have to be very brave indeed. She was loved by not just one, but five dragon slayers. Outside of the slayers, she held the hearts of a powerful guild to include a powerful and protective rune mage as a best friend. Anyone who dared to dream of harming her would be dead inside an hour.

The leader of the thunder- god- tribe- turned- Guildmaster paused in his tantrum when the door to his office slammed open hard enough to dent the wall. The enraged celestial mage stood with her hands on her hips glaring daggers at him, earning herself quite the snarl indeed from him in return. If the situation were any less tense, he would have laughed at her, hopefully without earning himself a 'Lucy Kick' in the process.

"Do you want to tell me why I almost lost a _foot_ of my hair, Laxus?! Or why you're behaving like a _toddler_ in need of a _nap_ before dinner?!"

Laxus growled. "Careful _Blondie_… I'll fry off more than hair next time. I'm _not_ in the damn mood for a _lecture_ from you right now."

Her eyes narrowed and a sneer graced her lips. "You know _damn_ good and well you wouldn't _dare_ try it, and for the record, _you're a blonde too _you great _power strip_! Now what the hell is your damn _problem_?!"

After a brief stalemate, the anger left him and he fell heavily into the office chair now behind him, courtesy of the yet silent, visiting Guildmaster of their sister guild, White Sea. Kaleb Pradesh offered Lucy a brief smile before turning his attention back to his friend.

The mindbender mage chuckled at the rate of speed in which the thoughts flew through his fellow Guildmaster, most of them centered on the celestial mage in their presence; she was one of three females brave enough to prod their way through his temper- Evergreen and Kaleb's sister Emzadi being the other two. It didn't mean that he would admit the reason for said temper at the moment; he already knew his dad was a selfish bastard on the best of days. To learn that said selfish bastard had turned a blind eye completely on morality and was now enslaving mages all over the whole of Ishgar? Laxus sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and quell the growing headache.

_All this on top of no sleep and crazy dreams. Ugh. What the fuck did I ever do to piss the gods off?!_

_I'll help you sleep tonight Laxus, and I'm sure Cristoff can help with the headaches when we meet him. Lucy is only concerned because you usually have better control of your emotions._

_Tell me something I don't know. I haven't had an outburst like this since I was a kid. Mira is going to kill me. I don't want to think about what the guild hall looks like either._

"Are you going to answer me, Laxus?" Lucy was calm and quiet as she asked, but no less persistent, with her arms crossed over her chest.

_I pity the man who tries to tie her down. She's too stubborn and nosey for her own good._ Laxus huffed.

_She's fearless. You're well on your way to taking your grandfather's spot as a Wizard Saint of Ishgar, in the middle of a serious lightning show of magic release and she just waltzes into your office like nothing will harm her?_

_That's not fearless. That's stupid. She's been around Natsu for so long the idiocy has finally rubbed off on her._

_No, it's slightly funny to know she has you and the other four dragon slayers in this guild wrapped around her finger. I wonder if my siblings wound be added to her family as easily._

_I don't doubt you're right, but can we not try it?_

_You're probably right. Having a romantic relationship for a sibling is slightly disturbing, I admit. _Kaleb smirked, hinting at the unspoken tension between Laxus and his sister that had built the last time he was visiting the Pradesh home.

The dragon slayer glared at his friend, grumbled under his breath about ridiculous Boscans and pushed a file towards Lucy in silent response. He watched her as she processed the words on the papers, taking in the dates and places written within the lists. She tried and failed to see what set his temper off, however, and looked to Kaleb for some kind of answer, hoping the mindbender would offer some extra insight.

"This, Lucy, is a list of towns, villages, cities and clans that have been hit by slavers from Fiore to Pergrande in the last several months. The slavers are flying a black banner with a raven in the center. They're kidnapping mages specifically."

She gasped. "No… but… surly it's not…"

"It's him alright. I know it, and I hate him for it even more." His rumbling growl would have had most cowering before him, even with his back turned to glare out the window at the seemingly cheerful world outside. Not his kin.

Lucy moved in slow measured steps towards Laxus and placed a hand on his arm, gently applying enough pressure to make him turn around to face her. Kaleb watched in silent interest, impressed with her daring, hoping even more that his brother would come to his senses and tell her how he felt. Lucy was definitely a treasure worth seeking.

She sighed and gave Laxus a gentle smile. He was her friend and more than that, he was kin, and he was hurting. She couldn't watch it for much longer without trying to ease his pain- and his guilt. She knew his father was a taboo subject and she hated how, after all these years, it still pained him to think of how his own father could care so little for him. It was something they learned, they both had in common.

"If it _is_ him, he'll be stopped and made to face justice for his crimes. Send out a team or two to gather intel. If he's a part of something dark, the magic council will need to know so proper measures can be taken against him."

Laxus and Kaleb shared a look, both with a raised eyebrow. _It could work. The teams would have to be stealthy and move quickly over the ground._ Kaleb mused.

_The Raijinshu would be ideal. Vander too, though I hate to say it. At least he has Presca to keep him slightly tame._

_Lucy and her team could be of use as well._

_I'm sorry, have you _met_ team Natsu? Have you not _seen_ the mountain of paperwork I have to wade through every other week because of them?!_

_So, break the team up, take Lucy with you, and keep the rest of them here for now. Once we know what we're dealing with, you can send for them then._

_You just want her and your brother to finally admit their feelings for one another, don't you?_

Kaleb shrugged. _I wouldn't be opposed to Lucy becoming my sister officially, no._

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You two _**do**_ know it's _rude_ to have a completely silent conversation while there's _another_ _person_ in the room, _right_?"

Kaleb smiled and bowed his head to her; she was Bickslow's match in every way- down to her impatience with his magical abilities. "Forgive us, Lucy. Did you have any particular teams in mind?"

Lucy huffed; she'd known him for little over a year now, and she still hadn't figured out how to make him stop acting so formal around her. From the knowing and very much amused glint in his eyes, he'd heard exactly what she was thinking. "The Raijinshu for sure. Cobra and Gajeel are both fair candidates too. Levy is a great source of information as well, to that point, so is Cana with her cards when you can pull her away from the alcohol."

"But, not your own team?"

The look Kaleb received had an eyebrow raising in brief surprise. "I'm sorry, have you not officially _met_ Team Natsu? Between Gray and Natsu, any cover any of us tried to establish would be blown sky high, and Erza wouldn't bother to do anything but attack first and ask questions later. I love them, they mean well, and they are my family in all but blood, but subtlety is _not_ their way."

"I see. Well, would you be opposed to working with Cobra and Gajeel as one set of two or three teams?"

Lucy shrugged and looked to Laxus. "If you approve. I have no problems working with Cobra at all- he's kin- and Gajeel is as good as hired muscle that I don't actually have to pay."

Laxus stood from his chair, rolling his shoulders to try and release some of the tension. He strode to the balcony overlooking the belly of the guildhall and sighed at the mess he'd created. He thanked everything holy it was still early, and the guildhall wasn't exceedingly crowded just yet. From the looks Mira was sending him, however, he'd get an earful later, after business was finished. He almost grimaced- the girl knew how to rant with the best of them.

"Gajeel, Cobra, Cana, Freed, Ever, Bix… my office. Now." He'd just ignore the Take- Over mage for the time being.

Lucy giggled when he returned. "Nice, Laxus. You have to be _nice_." Even Kaleb chuckled as their eyes settled on the pacing and tense dragon slayer.

Laxus only gave the two a glare before turning towards the door to wait. It didn't take long. Each of the names he'd called were more than curious- bar Cobra who gleaned all the information needed by tuning into Lucy's more than open soul. Laxus only sighed when the poison dragon slayer shrugged. If he had protests he would have said something.

"Close the door, Freed, this is going to be a _private_ meeting and I don't want anyone _else_ to overhear what's said between _us_." Laxus sneered when he saw the heads of Erza, Natsu, Grey and Happy peering over the top of the stairs.

The rune mage nodded and within seconds of the door closing, Team Natsu and the rest of the guild was left trying to guess what had their guild master and most of the S class mages up in arms. Two hours later, most members had grown bored with waiting. They'd be told if they needed to know. It was only Mira left in the guild hall when the doors finally opened again, and the group made their way downstairs.

"- Bosco and see if there is any new information available."

"That sounds like an excellent idea Freed. I'm sure Farron would love to see you again as well." Kaleb mused as they walked down the stairs to the bar. He smirked at the light blush that spread across the younger man's cheeks. He knew all about Freed's little crush on his older brother. He also knew that Farron was more than interested in the rune mage.

Bickslow rolled his eyes. _You're playing matchmaker again. Cristoff will be pissed if he misses an opportunity to set up one of our siblings, Kaleb._

_He'll have plenty of opportunities. _Kaleb mused.

Bickslow eyed his brother briefly in warning. The last thing he wanted was to be tied up in a competition between his brothers. "Well, I for one and looking forward to being home!"

*Yeah! Home! * *Home is great! * *Lots of fun! * *So much mischief! * *So much sex! *

Lucy giggled as she made her way down the stairs after Bickslow and his totems. She used to think they were obnoxious, at least until they'd saved her from falling into the canals one night on her way home after she'd had way too much to drink at the local club with the Fairy Tail girls. She hadn't seen Bickslow following behind her until she'd slipped. She would have hit her head on the stones before falling into the canal, and probably drowned, if not for the little totems stopping her fall.

The day after her near swim in the canal, she sat down in front of Bickslow, demanded he remove his visor- since she refused to talk to a metal can- and asked him anything and everything about his magic and his babies. She fell in love with the little souls and told them in no uncertain terms that if they ever got tired of their Daddy, they had a place in her apartment waiting. She and Bickslow grew closer as friends after their talks and now laughed and teased each other about who was the bigger pervert.

Laxus told them constantly they were _both_ on the same level of perverseness and they were _both _insane.

"I'll see you guys later. I'm gonna go pack." Lucy grinned when the totems floated over to her. She nuzzled each one of them and sent an air kiss to Bickslow. "Bye cuties. See ya later, Bix."

Kaleb smirked. "You're drooling, little brother."

Bickslow only huffed in response, ignoring both Kaleb and Laxus. This was going to be a _long,_ few weeks. Kaleb, Laxus and the others he could handle. _Lucy_? He was in so much trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

04

Lucy sighed with the sheer boredom she felt from sitting in the same position for hours just watching the scenery fly by her. The train from Magnolia to Crocus was only marginally entertaining due to the dragon slayers she called traveling companions- that and the man currently using her shoulder as a pillow. Until they'd fallen asleep an hour prior, she'd been in stitches of laughter.

Their snark and sass aside, Laxus and Erik- only she could get away with using his real name and not be poisoned to death in her sleep- were two of the more interesting people in the guild to talk with. Both slayers were highly intelligent and were fun to be near when she needed a break from her obnoxiously testosterone driven team, and they kept her mind from wandering too far into the dark places it wasn't meant to dwell. Add in Bickslow, his brother Kaleb, Freed and Evergreen, and Lucy was kept well entertained.

A snort to her left brought her from said thoughts. "Yeah, yeah, you like being around us. Would you shut that thing you call a brain _off_ already?"

Her eyes rolled. "When did you wake up?" She turned her attention to the poison dragon slayer with a raised eyebrow.

"Never went to sleep. Too many people are unhappy- or need to get fucking _laid_." He rolled his eye towards her with a pointed glare.

"You're such a _sap_. Since when do you care about other people's _unhappiness_? And we're _not_ going there, Erik. You _know_ better, and you know why."

His eyebrow arched in challenge. "I don't care about it at all, but when I can't _sleep_ because the woman in the next cart from ours is crying and contemplating ways to murder her _boyfriend_ for sneaking off to fuck a train attendant, I _can't_ fucking ignore it. Some of her ideas are too damn _interesting_."

He didn't want to tell her it was really Laxus's disturbing dreams that were keeping him awake. Seeing the slave markets of Stella rattled him completely and brought back memories he only wanted to forget. He'd been taken aside by Laxus early on to ask for help with those dreams, but even Cobra was at a loss on how to help. He'd never heard, anywhere in his wanderings, about sudden prophetic dreams- a person was either born with the gift or not.

Kaleb smirked slightly, but otherwise kept quiet in his seat across from Laxus. The man had always intrigued him, and he'd admit Cobra was definitely on the exotic side, but he was more Bickslow or even Vander's speeds as far as energy and sass. His mind though, his mind was unbelievably gorgeous- much like the blonde he was engaging in conversation.

"So, go fuck her yourself and be done with it?" Lucy huffed, brining Kaleb from his thoughts.

"Well _damn_, you're sassy tonight. What's wrong sugar tits? All dolled up and nowhere to go?" Cobra cooed, knowing he'd hit a nerve when he heard the lithe blonde growl under her breath.

Lucy sneered. "At least you'll finally stop being an _obnoxious ass_ and just go to sleep if you go and fucking get _laid_."

"When the hell did you get so _crude_, Jugs?" He couldn't help his grin.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It _could_ have been about the time I decided to call _you_ a friend."

"Hey! I'm an _awesome_ friend!"

"Uh huh. It _might_ have been the time I decided to go with you to that run-down, hole in the wall you like to call a _bar_ and help you pick up women."

"Oh, come on, you had fun!" He grumbled.

Lucy's eyebrow arched again. "Be that as it may, it _might_ have been the time you dared me to dance on counters in said bar-"

"_Hey_! You _thoroughly_ enjoyed showing off for that guy that tried to get you out the door! I stopped him from slipping his fingers into your pretty little kitty, but you loved every minute of showing off for him!"

Lucy's eyes rolled. "_Or_, it could have been the time I allowed you to stay in _my_ apartment for the night because you were _supposedly_ too drunk to walk home-"

"Hey, it takes a while to burn alcohol out of my blood after as much as we both drank! We could have put Cana to shame ten times over!"

"-and later found you watching porn on _my_ T.V. in my _living room_-"

"Nuh uh, sugar tits! You joined me to watch all _two hours_ of that movie! Don't even _deny_ that one!"

"Mm… yeah, the guys _were_ hot." She shrugged a shoulder trying hard not to jostle the man beside her from his slumber. "_Besides_, I only watched it to point out that _A.) _Most of those women were _faking_ it, and _B.)_ Most of the guys have _nothing_ in the way of muscle mass compared to the guys in the guild. Other than the knowledge to _please_ a woman… they had _nothing_ I'm interested in." She sniffed.

"Mhm… because we _all_ know what _you're_ interested in, right Sugar Tits." Cobra congratulated himself for not looking away when Lucy sent him her best feral scowl. She really had been hanging around dragon slayers too long. Any other person would have backed from the car screaming.

"Repeat that and I _swear_ you won't get _laid_ for the rest of your miserable time spent in this _life_, Erik-" She stopped mid rant to try and reign in her temper, not wanting to wake anyone.

A huff of laughter answered her and alerted the two that another of their friends was awake. "Oh, _please_, don't stop on my account, Blondie. The threats were just getting _good_."

"_Shut it_, Sir-sparks-a-lot. You _do_ realize you're a blonde too, right? Maybe all the lightning you inhale has finally fried what little brain cells you have left."

Laxus snorted is amusement. _Sassy little thing indeed_. "This coming from the female who changes her outfits like ten times a day but still denies being into cosplay?"

"_That_ argument is old too, you great walking outlet." She deadpanned. She detested him sometimes when he used this particular argument against her.

Laxus only grinned. "I can't decide which one you like _more_\- the _bunny_ or the _cheerleader_." He knew she'd picked up on the hint he was trying to drop when her entire body stiffened.

"Don't forget the belly dancer she went to the guild dressed as last Halloween." Cobra readily supplied, smirking when she turned her scowl in his direction. "I think she liked _that_ _one_ the best."

"While I agree Ms. Lucy enjoyed the frivolities entailed while dressed in her costume last year, I seem to recall a _less than appropriate_ French maid outfit being worn at one point as well. I therefore would argue that she doesn't seem to have a favorite costume at all." Freed said, hiding his grin behind the pages of his book, allowing his presence to be counted as an awake party as well.

"She liked dressing as a pixie…" Kaleb said with a smirk finally opening his eyes to his friends.

Lucy rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the window again. _Stupid mind readers. Stupid rune mages. Stupid dragons._ Ugh, forget it, she wasn't going to talk to any of them anymore.

"You know the likelihood of you not speaking to your friends again is impossible, don't you?" Kaleb grinned when she growled but stubbornly stayed quiet.

She'd never admit the costumes were meant to impress the man currently using her shoulder as a pillow. She'd gone well past just wanting to get to know Bickslow and into full on crush mode. She'd never tell him though; she wasn't even his _ideal woman_. She didn't think he'd ever notice her without the sleazy costumes she wore during holidays. If he did, it would only be because she was _namkama_. She thought sometimes the fates must hate her.

_First, Aquarius, then falling in love with Bickslow… what next?_

Cobra snorted. "If you only knew, Tink." He knew she hated his vague comments.

"Not. another. _word_. Erik." She hissed. She went back to watching the landscape pass and missed Kaleb's arched eyebrow. Her last comment, added to the mental walls she'd just erected, were mouthwateringly tempting.

"Tink?" Laxus wondered, drawing Kaleb away from the temptation.

The lightning slayer eyed his guildmates in amused confusion. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what secrets Erik had gleaned from the lithe blonde, but the tone in her voice had such finality, even his dragon perked in interest. A look Kaleb's way told him much the same thing about the mindbender as well.

Cobra snorted, but his eyes danced with amusement. He'd never break the girl's trust, even if it meant Laxus would win several different bets about any number of things; The need to know was clear as a bell in his mind too. He only shrugged. "Tinkerbell? Small little blonde fairy from that kids movie?"

Laxus nodded. "I know what you're talking about now." He'd listened to Asuka talk about the movie enough times. "I guess it fits. She's blonde."

"Indeed, and she's a member of Fairy Tail." Freed felt the need to state the obvious, if only to possibly pull a rise from the lithe blonde across from him. He needed to see for himself her mind wasn't trying to drown her again. She'd been a mess for a while and hadn't wanted to speak of what was hurting her.

Lucy scowled and moved to give Cobra a pointed look from over the top of Bickslow's head. "If I'm Tink… you're Pan! Pointed ears and all!"

Laxus snorted his amusement but said nothing out loud. He knew better; Lucy was vindictive when she wanted to be. She'd earned her place as kin to each of Fairy Tail's dragon slayers and in turn, her tenacity had only grown. There was also the added benefit of not thinking about his dreams while egging his kin on in her banter with the crude and obnoxious poison dragon slayer.

A soft chuckle from the man across from him drew his attention from the squabbling pair. Laxus forgot sometimes how powerful Kaleb's magic could be. He could destroy an entire garrison of soldiers with a gentle nudge of his magic if he so chose or hear the thoughts of every person on the train they were riding on, all without moving from his seat. Instead, he sat perfectly at ease, listening to Lucy and Cobra squabble. He was definitely something else. Another part of him admitted the other blonde was definitely on the sexy side too- eye candy for days, as Cana said.

_I'm flattered, Laxus. If I didn't know as much as I do about dragon slayers, I'd almost be tempted to keep you for myself- if just for a small while._

A lifted eyebrow was the only acknowledgment Laxus gave to the now smirking Guildmaster of White Sea. The statement alone drew forth a slew of images and fantasies to the forefront of his mind- including finding a private room on the train and letting Kaleb completely have his way with him- that turned Kaleb's smirk nearly predatory and had Cobra almost blushing. Those thoughts definitely had the poison dragon slayer shifting in his seat slightly.

It was a well-guarded secret only a handful of people knew, that Laxus had no preference in sexual partners. He trusted his team with that information, and he trusted Lucy as well, only because she happened to walk in on he and Freed in the middle of a very heated make out session after he'd first been appointed Guildmaster. He trusted Cobra, Natsu and Gajeel to never tell a soul, only because he knew there was no hiding certain scents from the other dragon slayers and he definitely couldn't control the mind of whoever happened to roll out of his bed. He also knew Kaleb was right; Dragon Slayers only ever gave themselves completely to one person in their lifetimes.

Still… _Pleasure is pleasure and you're not promised… there's nothing stopping us._

_Indeed. Come then Laxus, share pleasure with me for the remainder of our trip. I'm sure you'll find me if you choose to accept the offer._

Without another word, Kaleb stood and left from the compartment. Laxus grinned and made a show of stretching before he too left in search of the mindbender roughly ten minutes later. Lucy only rolled her eyes. _Subtle they are not. _While a few of their friends might be confused about what had the two blondes leaving so suddenly, she knew _exactly_ what they were getting up to and she couldn't help but chuckle. When a knowing look passed over Cobra's eyes, Freed also chuckled and returned to his book.

Bickslow jerked awake with the slamming of the door and blinked slowly, taking in his surroundings before he relaxed again. The soft chuckle to his left caught his attention as he slowly turned to where Lucy was sitting. He remembered reading next to Lucy, and then he remembered getting tired. Had he _really_ just used the blonde as his personal pillow? _Wonderful impression made._

"Complete with cuddles, soul seer."

Bickslow eyed the poison dragon slayer with some annoyance- he hated it when his own _brother_ read his thoughts, let alone anyone else. At least Kaleb didn't add in _pet names_.

Cobra rolled his eye and snorted. "You'll survive."

"Erik, knock it off. Kindness won't _kill_ _you_; you know." Lucy huffed.

"You'd _think_ that, wouldn't you? You _bleed_ sunshine and sparkles, Tinkerbell." Cobra sneered.

"Go fuck a skull, bleach breath." She hissed.

Bickslow shook his head and let his eyes wander around the cabin, drowning out the renewed quarrel between the two. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed not only Evergreen missing, but Laxus and Kaleb as well. "So, where'd my brother get to? And where are Laxus and Ever?" He figured a topic change would be the safe thing to do.

"Medusa is in a closet somewhere with an extremely interested train attendant. She's still miffed about her brake up with Hercules and she's trying to fuck her way into happiness." Cobra shrugged.

Bickslow rolled his eyes but nodded in understanding. "What about Kaleb and the boss man?"

"Laxus and your brother are otherwise _engaged_ at the current moment, Bickslow. I would _advise_ you leave them alone." Freed said from behind the book he was engrossed in. "Pleasure is pleasure after all."

Cobra snorted. "That's one way to put it. I'm sure the attendant they just terrified thinks the same thing."

"Cobra, regardless of how deadly you _think_ you are, if word reaches the masses of this tryst… well… some of my runes are rather creative." Freed mused.

Cobra leered at him after their eyes met over the top of his book, causing Freed to fight down a rising blush. "I could really care less… pleasure is pleasure after all." He mimicked with a wolfish grin and a deliciously husky tone that had Lucy rolling her eyes.

"Erik, behave. Go fuck the girl hellbent on revenge. You'll feel better." Lucy smirked.

Cobra snorted and shook his head at his kin. She tried to be stern with him, but the amusement danced in her eyes anyways; Poor Freed looked ready to explode in his pants. The poison dragon slayer was way too Boscan in his ways of thinking sometimes. He had no preferences whatsoever in partners, but Lucy was the only one who knew that and guarded the secret jealously.

"Hn… at least he won't be so cranky." Bickslow said with a raised eyebrow, his eyes darting back and forth between the Freed and Cobra.

*Not so cranky* *No grouchy dragons* *Lots of shenanigans* *Thunder god is getting some* *Don't worry, be happy*

Lucy giggled and held her hands out to the little totems now floating around the cabin area. "You all are so _cute_… even if you are crude. You should tell Daddy to keep better control of you." She teased.

"Hey! I don't control them! I made the totems, but they're still their own souls! I don't tell them what to say or how to behave!"

Lucy giggled again. "I'm just teasing Bix. It's alright. I know you can't control what they say or when."

Bickslow huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, a pout dancing into place across his lips. He internally berated himself for not keeping his visor on his head, wishing to hide his face as the blonde beside him continued to giggle at his child-like behavior. His icy glare and silent threats of told secrets kept Cobra from opening his mouth to further the dour mood of the seith mage.

"Go back to sleep Bix, I'll wake you up when we get there." Lucy promised, coaxing the seith mage to rest his head in her lap. Her fingers carding through his softer than silk hair quickly had Bickslow chasing after slumber's embrace once more.

Laxus sighed and inhaled deeply when he stepped off the train at the station in Crocus. He was only too happy to be on solid ground again- sexy guild masters with wicked oral skills aside- and couldn't wait to get started on their investigation. At least the dreams stayed away after a few hours in Kaleb's arms.

_I told you I'd help you relax._ An amused voice sounded before beside him.

Laxus rolled his eyes. _I'm admitting to nothing, just so you know._

_I didn't expect you to. I know how much of a private person you are, Laxus. I respect that._

"It took you long enough." A voice to their left said.

The group as a whole turned towards said voice, only to see Cana waiting for them, bags already in hand, with Gajeel a few feet behind the two. He'd opted to take an earlier train in order to contact some friends already in Crocus. Lucy shrugged. "Our train was delayed a couple times. It couldn't be helped."

Cana arched an eyebrow, her keen eyes raking over the more than relaxed lightning dragon slayer before falling to a more than grouchy Lucy. Her thoughts had both Kaleb and Cobra chuckling as they walked past the card mage already mentally betting which of her friends had snuck off to get laid on the ride there. She also bet that was the main reason for the delays. Lucy's excuses were weak- the girl hated being late and usually made a point to be on time no matter the cost.

_I bet she had to hear one of the guys fucking. Maybe it was even her- girl needs to get laid again. Hm… maybe she wanted to sleep with one of them and they ignored her… damn that would suck… maybe Bickslow could help her out. _It wasn't until Cobra turned around that Lucy inhaled sharply; this wasn't going to be good.

"You're not wrong, drunk." He purred and smirked when Freed blushed. The deep, teasing purr brought thoughts to the forefront of the Rune Mage's mind that he might be tempted to try if not for the fact Freed was head over heels in love with someone else already.

Lucy's wide eyes and paling face was hint enough. Add in the vagueness of Cobra's sentence, and Cana would be relentless in her pursuit of answers for the remainder of their trip. "Ok, well, I vote we make our way to the inn we booked and get settled into our rooms. Once we've established roommates, we can get some dinner and set up a base of operations for the time we're here, does that sound plausible to everyone?"

"I second the idea, Ms. Lucy." Freed said with a nod of his head.

Kaleb only chuckled and turned to his brother. _Farron's perfect match, indeed._

Bickslow only nodded his head in agreement.

Lucy sighed and lifted her bag higher on her shoulder and winced at the weight. She wondered again why she hadn't had the forethought to ask Virgo to store _all_ of her bags like she usually did. She blinked in confusion when said weight lightened seconds later. Her eyes followed the path Bickslow was now taking, carrying his pack as well as hers on his way to the inn, acting for all the world like he carried that much extra weight every day.

"Come on Cosplayer, you'll get lost in the crowd!"

*Keep up* *Stay close* *So tiny* *Busy place* *Lost Cosplayer* *So sad*

"Mm, yeah, but the view from back here is _amazing_." She blushed cherry red when she realized that not only had she spoken out loud, but Cobra- her kin- was standing next to her, and each of the dragon slayers had heard her quiet confession.

Even Kaleb smirked at her; it was going to be a _long_ two weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

05

Alti bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and refused to scream as burning poison raced through her veins, administered by the man now standing in front of her in a pristine white lab coat. He held a clipboard in one hand and a stopwatch and pen in the other, counting the minutes it took for the dark purple liquid he'd just injected her with to kill her. She hissed when she felt her stomach churning. If she had anything of substance in her body, she felt sure it would have been on the floor at her feet with how violently sick she now felt.

She'd watched from her glass prison as mage after mage was subjected to the same treatment each day. Hours of torture, hours of bleeding, only to be injected with a sinister and foul-smelling liquid that now crept towards her heart. They were searching for something, harvesting something from the bodies, but she couldn't understand what it was they wanted. They talked in a language she didn't fully comprehend; it only heightened her hatred for the men who held her- the men who thought themselves superior merely because she was a woman. They held no magic of their own, yet they currently held all the power for themselves and Alti hated them for it.

Involuntary tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she squeezed them tight and grit her teeth against the pain. Her hands balled into tight fists as she tried to take her mind somewhere else. This wasn't the first time she'd battled a new poison, but it was the first time she'd ever had so much trouble ignoring her body's reactions to it; the pain was almost unbearable. Instead of pleading for mercy, for a quick death like the rest, she glared hatefully at the man and spat blood into his face. She smirked when he reared back just in time for the blood to miss his skin, appalled at her actions. He'd just raised a hand to punish her when a voice behind him turned him into a simpering, cowering mess.

"Uxes! I was told the executions would be completed last night! Why are they not finished?!"

The man jumped nearly a foot in the air and whirled around in surprise. "Sir! She's the last of them… I- I can explain the delay!"

"I'm waiting." He growled.

Alti hissed as the poison sped through her body, another bout of coughing escaping her lips. She missed the explanation as her body finally emptied itself of the bile in her belly. She was tired, but she refused to give up so easily. She knew she was one of their favorite test subjects, able to withstand much of what they did to her through sheer willpower alone. Maybe her luck had finally stopped.

"What was pushed through her veins?"

Each of the women, now lifeless on the floor, had a different poison concoction in their systems. A different execution for each mage. Each execution had taken place over the span a week, each death carefully documented.

She stopped listening, intent on what was happening to her own body. She felt her muscles cramping, tightening, and seizing. Her lungs burned, her heart pounded in her ears and even though her eyes were tightly closed, the lights still stung them. It wasn't until she heard three words that she started laughing weakly at the stupid doctor, even as cold chills swept over her sweat soaked skin.

"- fire bellied widow venom. The spiders are rare and from a remote island on the grass sea in Bosco. The clan was attacked and severely weakened years ago and the remnants are scattered throughout Bosco now. The spiders were harvested by one of our research teams after one of their party was bitten and subsequently died from the bite. It's the main toxin used for each of the subject's executions. The poison is lethal by itself and untraceable as far as we can tell.

This vial contained the widow venom as well as hemlock venom in equal parts. We added a drop of snake venom from a dying havati serpent as well for experiments sake. I was just about to document the length of time for eventual death."

No _wonder_ some of her symptoms felt so familiar. Hemlock? Hn, she'd have to remember to experiment with that one when she got free of this place. And Havati snake venom? She'd never encountered a live snake to see if the poison was more or less deadly than her own favored spiders- might be worth checking into someday. It still hurt, the combination was indeed deadly, but her body had powerful antibodies that would keep it from killing her- it only made her wish for death for a day or two.

Her head was yanked upwards by Uxes, a sneer on his lips. "And just what is so entertaining, you little wench?!"

Alti growled and spat a mouthful of blood into his face. "You're going to die, fucking worm, that's what's so entertaining."

She was backhanded for her insolence, but the men in the room watched her like a hawk, waiting for the life to leave her eyes. They gasped in shock when Uxes did indeed fall to the ground with convulsions before taking a final, pain-filled gasp as life left his body. Twenty minutes later, with sweat rolling down her face, she still glared defiantly at them.

"I told him he was going to die." She said through clenched teeth.

"Time?"

Another of the men scrambled to find the stopwatch Uxes had used. "Twenty minutes, sir."

"What's the average elapsed time for each subject?"

"The other subjects were dead within fifteen minutes. The longest lasted twenty-four minutes and fifteen seconds before a full shut-down of all vital organs." A different man offered, flipping through meticulous notes of his colleague.

Alti cut her eyes to the blonde water mage laying in a heap with caked blood around her nose and mouth- Kayla. She heard the screams still, the begging and pleading to just kill her. She refused to be that weak, even though it felt like hot pokers skittering over her flesh. She bit back a groan and tightened her hands into fists within the shackles that held her in place.

"New time?"

"Twenty-five minutes."

"How is she still alive?"

"We need samples of her blood! Now!"

The two other doctors now in the room eyed the girl warily. She'd killed Uxes, just as she said- with nothing but a mouthful of saliva. Her spit held more than they first knew, and it showed in the way he'd convulsed on the ground before his body went limp with death.

In between the two years that she'd worked as an independent mage and the time she's spent in Dawn City she'd dipped her hand into numerous apothecary poisons to build up an immunity to them. She made friends with powerful healing mages, working closely with them to inject small amounts of poison into her body to build up antibodies that could keep her alive and even learned and mastered a magic affinity for poisons- she wasn't a world famous poison mage, but she'd at least stand a fighting chance against any kind of attack. Her grin grew large when she finally felt her fever breaking.

"Sir… the wench's body is _countering_ the poison."

The doctor stared down at Alti with a mild flash of interest racing through his harsh eyes. "You're just full of secrets aren't you little wench."

Her eyes rolled. "We've _had_ this conversation, you gormless little toe rag."

"Hn. You might be of some more use yet, little wench. Collect her blood and get her out of my sight. Put her next to her friends… I'm sure she'd _appreciate_ it."

Alti refused to shiver. They'd learned that the berserkers liked her scent within the first week of her stay with them. They broke into a frenzy any time she walked past them. When they also learned that she got a little more antsy after a day or two of listening to their screams and guttural growls, they took pleasure in forcing her to stay near them. It was meant to break her spirit and force her compliance, but every time they took her away from the ceaseless noise, her walls were erected again; she refused to break.

_A week. The stupid beasts hadn't shut up for a _week. She'd been kept locked near them for a week straight with little in the way of rest, food, or water. It was all mind games. These stupid doctors wanted to break her, so they'd have an excuse to kill her. She knew that was why the others were dead now. She just refused to break. She'd had worse. She knew there were meaner monsters in the world- she'd been one such monster.

"Get up, wench. It's your lucky day. The doctors have a special treat for you."

"Joy of joys. _Special treats_." Her snark earned her a backhand hard enough to make black spots appear in her vision.

"You forget you're nothing here, _little worm_."

Alti scowled. The man in front of her had been there on the train when she'd first been captured. He'd seen firsthand how stupid she was- brave, but stupid. Had she been a man, she would have gone to the coliseum straight away instead of being handed off to the scientists. He also would have fucked that spirit right out of her. He liked his men feisty.

"Ah… this is the one I was speaking of. We have no more use for her here… her blood has given us… useful results in understanding the ways of most poisons in the blood stream. Our berserkers will be more powerful, more lethal going forward. The next batch of berserkers should be immune to most common poisons thanks to the samples we've pulled from her."

She rolled her eyes. They sounded so hopeful. Little did they know, she wasn't _just_ a shadow mage. She was also a poison mage- a weak one yes, but she was still classified as having two different types of magic- and thus, controlled the poisons in her blood, without the magical aspect, most poisons she encountered would have killed her long before she'd reached her 16th birthday.

Alti eyed the men in the room, her eyes taking in the uniforms with enough presence of mind to know they'd kill her without blinking, favorite test subject or not. She was spirited and enjoyed irritating the scientists because they lacked the physical strength to do more than hit her, but she wasn't stupid. These men were part of the Pergrande army. Judging by the medals decorating the uniforms, they were high on the food chain.

"Tell me, what is that awful screeching sound coming from the holding cells?"

"That's the latest batch of young, unblooded berserkers. They're enraged that their _toy_ has gone missing."

A hiss escaped her lips before she could stop it. She wasn't a toy for their amusement. A sharp jab to her side was punishment for her temper. The guard at her back jerked back on the chain around her neck, choking any further sounds from her lips before they could escape. It seemed to amuse the men in the room more with each passing second.

"I take it _she's_ the toy."

"Her blood seems especially sweet to them. Even though they're not yet blooded, they crash against their bars trying to get to her."

"We have enough vials of her blood to amuse the beasts for the time being. She's yours, gentlemen. I'm sure the trainers will find _some_ use for her."

Storm grey eyes widened in shock, much to the amusement of the men talking. She'd never expected them to remove her from the labs. The only way a mage usually left them was after they'd died. She kept herself compliant, walking behind the uniformed men without much resistance, but her eyes took in every step, every turn, and every door they passed.

Alti winced at the brightness of the mid-day sun shining overhead as they made their way into the streets of downtown Pergrande. The men refused to soil their car seats with the stench and filth of animals- so they told her- which meant a brisk thirty-minute walk, paraded through the crowds of Pergrande shackled and leashed, to the coliseum entrance.

A barely audible sigh left her lips when Alti eyed the goliath building. She'd just traded one prison for another.

"The little worm looks worried." One of the guards mused.

"Hn, at least she'll be where she belongs… with the other filth in the bowels of this place."

Alti rolled her eyes. Of course, dying in the labs was ideal, but then again, she wasn't one to take anything lying down. She growled when she was shoved into a cage after what seemed like ages.

"Don't take all her cuffs off. Leave the one at her neck alone. She's still a mage with powerful control of shadows."

Alti lunged for the bars after the door closed, now that her hands were free she wanted to at least maim one of the foul creatures before she was left to the darkness. She sneered when they merely laughed at her and walked away. They knew she was dangerous simply because any of the scientists to encounter her without the cuffs around her body were dead before they could run from her specially made prison, they just didn't care.

"You shouldn't antagonize them so much, you know."

The voice at her back sounded young- too young to be in a place like the bowels of a coliseum. Alti turned to find a young woman- she looked no more than thirteen- sitting in a corner with her knees drawn to her chest. She had fresh bruises on her arms, clearly there from a man holding her down too tight. She was strong though; Alti could appreciate the fire in her dark green eyes, even as they were half hidden behind a curtain of dirty, matted, shoulder length auburn hair.

She finally shrugged. "They don't scare me."

"They should. They're beasts… completely unpredictable… and mindless."

"I've dealt with mindless beasts before. How often are they in here to manhandle us?"

"They use us to clean the fighters, so they don't get hurt themselves… some of the fighters are rather… worked up after a match."

"So, they keep us on tight leashes then?"

"The only way we leave this place is by falling pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Alti arched an eyebrow.

"We're used as a reward for them… if they fight well, they get more food… if they win, they get more time with women."

"How old are you that you know what it is to lay with a man already?"

"They took me after my first cycle. I was 11."

"You're not much older than me…" Alti frowned. She knew all too well what it was like to be forced into sex.

"I'm 16… I count the days on the wall to help me remember." She motioned to the tally marks covering one side of the stone cell.

"Where did they take you from?" Alti asked when she noticed how many tally marks were visible.

"… I was born a slave. My mother died in childbirth… my father fucked me into her belly." She shrugged again.

"I'm so sorry."

She shrugged. "Don't be."

"So, we have to get pregnant in order to have freedom here?" Alti mused, changing the subject intentionally.

"I wouldn't say freedom per say. They take care of us better if we're pregnant… and once the babies are born… I'll just say we are treated better if we birth sons- given higher status. We're more favored the more times we can birth sons too."

"What of the baby girls?"

"I don't know. I've birthed two sons now. The last man chose me because he said he liked my temper. At least, that's what he told the head guards in charge of him after he caught me fighting in the cells with some other women."

"What of your firstborn's father?"

"He was killed last year. He wasn't gentle like the second one… he…" She swallowed thickly but refused to cry. "He's the one who…"

"Do you see the other man often?" Alti wondered.

She shook her head. "Not unless he's had a match. We're only allowed to attend the gladiators if they fight well. It's their reward because most of them are slaves from other countries and don't approve of having male attendants."

Alti nodded. She could understand that. Pergrande, being a patriarchal society, meant that they felt women were beneath them in all affairs- even relationships. "So, what of your boys?"

She released a sad sigh. "I don't know. They were taken from me after I gave birth. There are wet nurses here for the infants… the mothers are sent back to the pits after two days of rest and used to please other gladiators."

"That's horrible!"

"That's the way of things. We're given doses of birth control potions to keep us from getting pregnant so soon after giving birth- they want us alive to birth more fighters after all- and then it's back to the pits to please the others. My boys will be four and two if they are still breathing right now."

Alti frowned at that. It would mean she had her first child at the age of only twelve. She could vaguely remember seeing children in the labs, but they'd all been older- the youngest appearing to be nine.

"I saw him a few weeks ago… The man who sired my last son. They paraded him past the women after his victory in the pits against several berserkers. He killed them all within minutes of the bell signaling the start of the fight."

"So, he's a good fighter?"

"He's the best one here. I'm hoping my son has inherited his skill. It will serve him well."

"What do they call him then?"

"The Dark Eagle… he's the best fighter in the coliseum." She shook her head. "Even the guards are afraid of him. I've heard them say he's fearless. Maybe my son will inherit that bravery."

"What's your name?" Alti wondered.

"I'm Ariana."

"Don't worry, Ariana, I'll get us out of here one of these days and you'll finally see your boys again."

Ariana smiled at the thought. "What's your name?"

"I'm Alti."

"Well then, Alti, I'm pleased to call you friend."

Alti grinned. "Now that pleasantries are out of the way, tell me all you can about the guard rotations. I've been a good girl long enough. It's time to be set free from this place."

Ariana sighed. "I'll tell you what I know, but I don't think it'll do much good. There's too much risk involved and any who are caught trying to escape are thrown to the berserkers or whatever other horrors they have in the bowels of this place."

Alti smirked. "Have they been blooded?"

"Not that I'm aware of. The guards said it makes them wilder, more aggressive… meaner. They use them to prowl here sometimes, let the beasts throw themselves at our cages… it scares most of the women into submission."

"Perfect."

"How is that perfect? You may still have a collar around your neck to cancel your magic-" She gasped when the shadows danced in the low light of the torch over their heads. "How?"

"I was born to the shadows. That's all I can really tell you."

"You must be very strong."

"I'm just not ready to give up yet. They'll never break me… I'll see them all dead before then." She spent the next hour explaining to her new friend how her blood had riled the unblooded berserkers in the lab and her theory that it was due to the poison running through her veins. By the time they were through their conversation, a new glint of hope shined in Ariana's eyes. It was something Alti felt proud to have put there and something she vowed to not see dimmed if she could help it.


	7. Chapter 7

06

_Alti sneered at the guards watching her with angry, judgmental eyes from behind the bars of the cell she'd just been flung into. The man in the cage with her- a man she may have once considered handsome- was covered in the blood and gore of his last opponent. He was still high on the adrenaline of the match, sporting a very prominent erection and looking forward to his bath. _

_Looking back at the guard she smirked. "You're only jealous you can't have him willingly." Her amusement only grew when the guard growled and clenched his teeth together._

"_He'd not take a weak beast like you either, bitch." The response was petty, but it served to let her know she'd struck a nerve._

"_That's of little concern for me." She mused, turning to face the man displayed before her. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" She said with a long-suffering sigh._

_The man blinked in momentary shock. "You speak Pergrandian?"_

"_I know enough to converse."_

"_Someone was stupid enough to educate you?" He snorted._

"_Hm, maybe. What's your name?" She asked._

"_Gideon, not that it gives you permission you use it. Hurry up, I'm growing cold." _

_She spat on the floor near his feet, defiant in the face of what was expected of her. Even inside the walls of the coliseum, she still refused to break like they expected of her. They wanted her defiance stripped from her; after all, once she broke, the other women she'd inspired hope in would break as well._

"_If you're a decent bitch, I'll invite you to feed me after I'm clean." _

_She huffed but bit her tongue. Cocky indeed. The gladiator's hands were spread over a cross beam and tightly bound, as was protocol after too many women were raped to death inside the cages by his enthusiasm. Alti only arched an eyebrow at his pleased smirk. He was known as the Bellum Snake to the coliseum and the crowd loved him, nearly as much as the Dark Eagle. _

"_You're an arrogant thing, aren't you?" She mused._

"_Hn… I might be persuaded to show you how skilled I am outside of the ring." Gideon purred._

_Alti ignored him; She wasn't stupid enough to fall for empty promises. It was how most of the gladiators were freed- she'd admit if she were starved for positive attention like most women inside these forsaken walls, she'd be tempted as well. Too bad she knew better. All the men the guards had placed her with thus far were the same- arrogant, angry, and too full of testosterone they didn't know how to make the night last longer than the thirty minutes it took to completely bathe them clean of the dirt and blood. Each of them were also the most violent offenders towards the women sent to bathe them, usually raping them so much the women would go into shock and die._

"_I can promise you; I'm not interested in the pleasure you'd try to deliver." She huffed._

"_Untie me and I promise to show you the pleasure of a gladiator champion." He huffed, growing frustrated with the female. _

"_Not a chance." She hissed, eyeing him from where she stood._

_The guard behind her huffed and jabbed her hard in the side with the handle of his whip. "Clean him up wench. He's wanted upstairs."_

_Alti sneered at the beast of a man, that, if she weren't entirely sure, might be considered part berserker. "He'll be cleaned for your dictator soon enough, stupid, spineless little monkey."_

"_Careful, bitch. You're talking about the king of Pergrande." The guard snarled._

_She couldn't help but snort. "Such an intimidating man." She finally mocked. "I'm so glad the gormless toe rag trusts his monkeys to run his kingdom for him while he sits on his ass all day long watching other slaughtered for gold."_

_The gladiator let loose a fully bellied laugh at the brazen tongue of the little female kneeling at his feet to clean him. He'd grown up in Bellum, close to the Pergrande borders, and while he didn't hold much love for the females in his native country, he could appreciate that some of them were pretty. This one, with her forked tongue and barbed speech, coupled with the exotic tattoos most of the clan born Boscans adorned, would have been considered well before the rest were he to choose a bed partner for the night. _

_He tensed when a whip landed against her hip and winced when he saw the thong had drawn blood. He eyed the guard in charge of her, clearly growing impatient and having enough of her sass. His interests piqued more when all she did was growl. Another crack found the thong of the whip connecting with the skin of her stomach. The gladiator stared, open mouthed when she chuckled darkly._

"_That tickles." She sneered._

"_You little bitch! How dare you defy me!" The guard hissed._

_Alti smirked and made a show of moving higher up Gideon's thighs. The guard was getting angrier by the second, which meant he'd slip up soon enough. Just a little more. _

_She sucked in a breath against the pain when his boot connected with her ribs, sending her sprawling on the ground. Gideon watched in fascination when the little slave girl pushed herself up and moved to keep bathing him. Most females would be begging for the guards to stop after the first crack of the whip._

"_She's not scared." Gideon mused aloud. _

"_You must think we're in Joya! Damn woman rulers. You're in Pergrande and your place is at my feet, little bitch." The guard sneered._

_Another kick sent her sprawling again. All the ruckus had attracted attention from the other pins and more so the other guards. Alti balled her hands into fists and worked to control her breathing. She could swear the idiot cracked a rib or two. _

"_You hit like a woman." She laughed. _

_Gideon chuckled and the guard saw red. No way was he going to have the gladiator thinking he was weak- especially since he was going to have to escort him to the king's bed after he was cleaned. He was new, and, as such, eager to show his importance to those around him. _

_It wasn't until she spat a mouthful of blood towards his face that the guard reeled backwards. He'd apparently been warned that the girl had killed no less than five guards before him by her saliva alone. She was some kind of hybrid poison mage and they were all to be cautious of how close they allowed her to get to them. _

"_You'll pay for that dearly you little bitch." He hissed before unleashing Gideon from his chains, removing himself from the pin all the while._

_Gideon in particular was known for his abuse of the women sent to bathe him. It was one of the reasons they'd started chaining him inside the pin. Now as he circled Alti, watching the way her muscles bunched and released as she mimicked his movement inside the cell, he couldn't help but appreciate the beauty she held- a deadly predator wrapped inside the scrawny skin of a pathetic woman- even after a beating. _

_He mockingly lunged towards her, trying to scare her into a corner, but she merely side stepped his advances. The dance was an enticing one of predator against predator, not predator against prey as he quickly learned. It was an impromptu battle- one the guards weren't willing to cease; Gideon needed to release his built-up tension before seeing the king anyway. Instead, they gathered around the bars of the cage, shouting, jeering and betting against one or the other- the gladiator or the wench; no one bet she'd survive. Even the trainers and owners were amused. They could step in at any time to stop him, but they'd had enough of the troublesome woman- maybe this would finally teach her where her place was._

_When he lunged again, she glanced her nails down his still tender arm, dragging them like talons down the side of a beast. A smirk danced over her face when the man hissed in pain and retreated. Ten minutes more, it continued until Gideon was once again bleeding and dirty. It didn't stop until Alti felt a sharp stab against her neck and the world around her faded to blackness. _

Laxus bolted awake, sweat rolling down his face, and glanced wildly around him. He calmed slowly when he realized he was in a hotel in Crocus, not inside a cell somewhere watching a woman fighting for her life. He inhaled deeply, taking in the rich smells of amber and mahogany, even relishing in the bustling sounds of the city below him.

No crying, no jeering, no blood, no tears, no sweat or dirt. The foul stench of feces was even gone from his nose. He sighed again and shook his head to try and clear it. The dreams were all so real and he couldn't help but wonder again, why he was having them. He'd never seen the girl before in person and he wasn't familiar with any other person he had dreamed of thus far either.

Kaleb shook his head from the couch where he'd sprawled out to nap. What Laxus had seen in his dreams, he shuddered to think of it. He knew for a fact none of the Fairy Tail mages had ever been held captive within the walls of a Pergrande coliseum before, yet his friend's dreams were so vivid, they almost seemed like memories.

"When did the dreams start, Laxus?" It was one of Kaleb's ways to get Laxus to open to him. True, he could rip the information from the blonde, but he didn't want to harm his friend in the process.

"I've had them for almost half a year now. Each one more vivid than the next. I dream of the same girl- different ages each time. Each dream holds its own struggle."

"You say it's the same people over and over again?" Kaleb checked. Maybe a curse, tying two fates together? He'd have to be careful when he looked into this.

Laxus nodded. "I've learned the name's Alti, and Crimivos. A guild or two… some places I know of only by association through you and Bix."

"Those are Boscan names. Alti sounds like a clan given name… What guilds come to mind?"

"Helios and Fell horn… Fell born?"

Kaleb arched an eyebrow. "Felthorn?"

"Yeah, Felthorn! I'm sure it was Felthorn."

Kaleb nodded. "Yes, it's a lesser known guild in Bosco. They're close to the borders of Fiore too if I'm not mistaken. What else?"

Laxus frowned. "Another guild. Bloodwater… Bloodsea… Blood something…"

Kaleb arched an eyebrow. "The Bloodriver guild?"

"Yeah! That's it!" Laxus frowned after a minute. "I only had a few dreams about it… it didn't look like a good place to be."

"It wasn't… there were numerous reports of them causing nothing but pain to the people in Bosco, spreading chaos and fear. They were behind quite a few political kidnappings and even more assassinations I'm fairly sure, even if they were never officially charged for the crimes. Their Guildmaster was too smart to let the traces lead directly back to him, and he used multiple people for a job. He never gave any one person the entire plan.

They were located on the outskirts of Pelerno, I know that. I'm fairly certain some of them got it into their head to try and test a few of my mages too at some point within the last couple years. I remember Thane telling me a few members complained about a nasty speed mage bearing the Bloodriver guild's insignia."

"It's hard to believe anyone could get anything over on White Sea." Laxus teased.

"Yes, well… I'll be the first to admit they had raw talent. The reports I read said as much. They weren't overly large- just 200 or so members- but they were all rather shady and defiant of the magic council. Thugs with magic. They attacked and killed some high-ranking officials while they were guests in Pelerno, do you remember me telling you? It was the same night I got word my father's friend Eoca was murdered."

"Didn't they find his son dead in some night club that week before too?"

Kaleb nodded. "They did. We still don't know what killed either one of them. Doctors say it was natural causes, but I'm sure it was something else. Vander couldn't detect any magic either when I sent him to see the bodies, but he said there was something off- a _hint_ of venom or something on them but he didn't know where or how they'd come into contact with it."

"Wait, you've been using past tense to describe these guys… what happened to them? Did they get disbanded?"

Kaleb sighed. "Therein lies the mystery. There are only a handful of mages left alive from that guild- just under a quarter actually. Believe me, I checked myself. Thane still has a few teams keeping tabs on the majority of them. From what Vander and Presca could tell, some serious magic was released to lay waste to all but maybe thirty or forty mages in their guild hall. Presca says even now, that had he not been with him on a mission for the Steel Council, he'd swear Vander used his shadows to wipe them all out. There was also a fair amount of poison smeared everywhere."

"How long ago were they killed off?"

Kaleb shrugged. "White Sea was finally contacted towards the end of last year because of the amount of decay and dark magic everywhere around the place they'd claimed as their territory. Nothing was growing within a four-mile radius and the locals feared it was some kind of magical curse. Vander told me it looked like someone had opened a doorway to a shadow plane. It was only matched by the amount of poisons laced within the shadows. He had serious fun battling some of the nasty things trying to claim that area for themselves. Either way, their guild is no more."

Laxus' eyes were wide. "Who besides Vander has that much control over the shadows? And poison? I know for a fact Cobra hasn't been outside of Fiore in the last year or so… not since joining my team at least."

"I asked the Felthorn Guildmaster if they had any double S-class shadow mages who may have gotten fed up with a dark guild sharing such close proverbial quarters. Vander said it would have to be a mage at _least_ that highly classed to have coaxed the shades and things of the shadows out of the shadow realm like that. He was actually impressed, though I don't know if I take any _comfort_ in that.

Anyway, Felthorn doesn't have above a handful of S class mages in their guild and they told me they'd only wish to be that lucky. I even had Thane check _our_ guild records. We don't hold a mage that strong besides Vander. We definitely don't have a mage with dual talents the likes of what destroyed that guild."

A yawn escaped the lightning dragon slayers lips without his permission and Kaleb chuckled. "Go back to sleep, Laxus. I'll cease the dreams so you can get some rest." He promised.

When Laxus next closed his eyes, he was happy to find just blissful sleep. He didn't want to think about dead guilds or women being abused. He didn't want to think about the kidnappings or the wrong doings of his father. He just wanted to sleep and find the missing mages. Was it really too much to ask?


	8. Chapter 8

07

Lucy groaned in frustration and fell backwards onto her hotel bed. Another day of searching left her empty handed and she dreaded going downstairs to tell her friends as much. A knock on her door pulled her from her musings and she sighed.

"It's open!"

A low whistle met her ears over the silence of the room, and she lifted her head to see Bickslow's teasing grin. "Well damn, Cosplayer… they must like you! I'm jealous!"

She arched an eyebrow. "What are you talking about Bix?"

"You've got the princess suite to yourself!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's not the princess suite. It's not even one used by royalty! The owners of this hotel happen to be friends of my mother's. I'm still treated to a suit anytime I visit." She finally admitted with a helpless shrug. "Sorry, I was ranting. Was there something you needed, Bix?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Don't sweat it. I saw Cana downstairs a few minutes ago, she said she might have a lead, but she's not too sure it'll pan out like she wants."

"Hn. _None_ of my leads will stop _leering_ at me long enough to take my questions _seriously_." She pouted.

"Well, that's because you're going for that sexy, _hey-I-want-to-fuck-your-brains-out-on-my-desk employer_ look. You gotta go with a more, _hey-I'm-in-need-of-girls-for-my-pleasure-house_ vibe."

"Does that mean I get to dress in leather and parade you around with a leash and collar?" She asked with an eyebrow raised as she sauntered closer to him.

Bickslow blinked and opened his mouth to reply before closing his jaw tight. He cleared his throat and after several tries, grinned. "If you insist, _Mistress_."

She smirked and ran the tip of her index finger from his jaw to his throat. "What a good little pet." She cooed.

He stared at her with his jaw open as a blanket of lust slithered over him. It took him a few minutes more than usual for her words to register in his mind. "Hey, now, I promise you, there's nothing _little_ about me…" He huffed indignantly.

Lucy's brown eyes rolled again, but for a brief second, Bickslow could have sworn he saw more than annoyance swimming there, but he couldn't be sure. When he turned his attention back to her she was laying down on the bed and she had her head back against the mattress and he chose to instead swan dive onto the bed next to her, causing her to giggle. The pair allowed the silence to settle around them, content for the time being to allow nothing but the sound of their breathing to disturb them.

"Hey Cosplayer, you asleep?" Bickslow asked, breaking the silence not twenty minutes later.

"Nope. Just basking in the silence. It's relaxing."

"You hungry?"

"A little bit, yeah. I thought we were all going to wait to get food though."

Bickslow grinned. "Well I was _going_ to wait but… my stomach is being all growly and demanding though. Completely not my fault."

Lucy chuckled and shook her head. "You forgot to eat lunch today, didn't you? Oh, alright then, where are we going to eat?"

"Well, there's this great Minstrellan place a few blocks over. I mean… I know you like pasta since you eat it like every other day in the guild… unless you're trying to watch your figure right now or something."

Lucy giggled. "Watch my figure? Bix, I think you've been around Ever too much. I don't mind eating pasta, I love it, actually. It was one of the first things my cook back home taught me to make for myself."

"Really? I never would have guessed you know how to cook…" Bickslow grinned. Lucy rarely talked about life before the guild- he'd learned the memories were just too hard on her sometimes.

"Yeah, well… a girl's gotta eat, right?" She smirked. "Speaking of which… come on soul boy."

They two never noticed Cana standing at the end of the hallway, watching them both with jealousy in her eyes. She'd always been attracted to Bickslow, but he'd never given her serious thought. To see him waltzing out of Lucy's room, her arm in his, both of them laughing openly and teasing one another? She sighed and shoved the jealously monster away for the time being- this wasn't the place for that.

Lucy grinned at Bickslow as he walked her back to her room. They'd spent the remainder of the night in the company of Kaleb and Laxus, all four of them refusing to talk about anything to do with the mission and just relax.

"I don't think I've seen Laxus laugh like that for a while." She mused when they'd settled onto the bed together.

Bickslow agreed. "Yeah, boss man has had a lot on his mind lately. He needed to cut loose a little. Too bad Vander isn't here… we could really have some fun then."

Lucy hummed; He'd told her about his brothers during some of their talks. She knew- not firsthand- that each of them was a riot. He'd also told her how dangerous each of them could be if provoked and nothing provoked them more than messing with family. That was when she'd learned he was the son of Arman Pradesh- one of her childhood idols. She'd had him in stitches of laughter when she explained, with some embarrassment, that she'd harbored a tiny crush on the man for a few years after she learned that boys weren't gross creatures with cooties.

They were each lulled into a lazy, half- aware state, content to lay side by side and relax. The two had grown close- more alike than they each wanted to admit- and when they weren't on jobs with their teams, could be found side by side together at a table in the guildhall or shopping (of all things) together. It was peaceful, but she couldn't relax. Something in her gut was telling her to pay attention.

Lucy's startled gasp pulled them both from their peaceful cocoon and had them springing from the bed. They both turned to face the hooded figure on the other side of the glass, tensed and ready to defend themselves at all costs. Bickslow's eyes glowed faintly, his totems taking up an attack formation and Lucy's fingers tightened around her whip.

Lucy took in all she could of the man, the hood he wore revealing little of his tall, muscular build and hair color, though it couldn't hide those lecherous gold eyes, or the scar across his left eyebrow. He gave her a leering grin and she actually took a step closer to Bickslow- the man's teeth were rotting from his mouth and she found it creepy.

A shimmer of magic later and the man who'd been leering at her with a window between them, was now _inside_ her room. Lucy tried not to gag at the smell of him. Why did all bandits, robbers, mercenaries, and general all-around bad guys put so little time into basic hygiene? _Ugh. Creeper alert rating: all-time high. Idiot level: to be determined._

"You're a pretty little thing, ain't ya, girlie? Took me a while to find your room… finally convinced the maid it was in her best interest to stop screaming and tell me. Least it gave me a reason to spill her blood on the ground- never liked screamers… 'cept when they're under me… air leavin the lungs, blood on the ground- nothing better than ending their life and having a good time while I'm at it."

"Is there a reason you wanted to find her or was it just to bore her to death with your utterly _pointless_ monologue." Bickslow sneered while he pulled her closer to his side.

"Bix!" Lucy hissed.

The man's attention was drawn to him them and Lucy grimaced when he licked his lips. "You'll fetch a decent price too… nice and fit in all the right places." He grinned and let his eyes rove over the seith mage's figure. "Bet you like it rough, don't ya. Your Boscan, right… no preference in men or women? I bet you'd take it _so_ well…bet you'd beg pretty for it too." He purred.

Bickslow's eyes rolled. "You come in here just to flirt? I'm telling you right now, you're _not_ my type and I'm _not_ interested."

The man snorted. "Saw you and your girl earlier in the streets. Boss man wants you both… knows he can make some money off you two. Pretty things always make more jewel… Come nice and quiet now… I won't have to hurt you." He held up two pairs of magic canceling cuffs, making his intent perfectly well known.

Lucy snorted. "Yeah, like _that's_ going to happen. Sorry to break it to ya, but big, beefy and _stupid_ just isn't _my_ type of guy either." She let her whip crack across the space between them, driving the man to move backwards, and in the process forcing him to release the cuffs. She only smirked at his enraged growl. "Oops."

Bickslow was the next to go on the offensive, ranged attacks being his preferred type of fighting. His babies flew into formation behind him, and without so much as a spoken word, were sent straight towards the man in order to keep him away from his intended targets. He wasn't even sure what type of mage he was, just knew that the idiot had some type of magic to have seemingly walked through glass.

_Kaleb?! Are you finished fucking those maids yet?_

_What did you do now, little brother? And no, I'm decidedly _not_ finished._

_Well, it's what I'm _doing_ really. See, some tall, dark- _stupid_ might I add- ugly idiot decided he wanted Lucy and I for the slave markets…_

_Fucking hell! Where are you?!_

_In her room… dammit, this guy is a fucking shadow mage?! Not fucking cool! Fuck, that hurt._

_You're in her _room_. _Why_ are you in her _room_, Bix?_ Kaleb couldn't help but feed his amusement through their mind link, even as he made hurried excuses to leave and promises to finish their fun before he left Crocus.

_Boss man ain't gonna like the bill for damage… now wouldn't be a good time to bug him either. Knock it off Kaleb! It's not like that. _

_Between you and Vander…_

_Ohh… kitty has actual claws! Fucking hell, that hurt! Hey, wait… I'm better than Vander! At least I've never almost caused a war between two countries! _

_You still have your moments._

_I wouldn't be _me_ otherwise. _

Kaleb ignored his brother's arrogance and actually winced as he made his way into the room Lucy was meant to be staying in for the next week, taking in the destruction caused by the mage now tied in ropes by the foot of the bed. He arched an eyebrow at Bickslow who was holding Lucy tightly to him before his attention turned back to the man on the floor.

"I would have started interrogating him already, but the idiot got handsy…"

An unintelligible stream of profanity came from the man bound on the floor as he glared up at his captors. He didn't want to admit that he'd let his own arrogance get the better of him. Lucy was just a weak woman and Bickslow looked scrawny for a man; they should have been easy targets- even if they _were_ mages.

Kaleb's eyes narrowed as he listened to the mans' thoughts- he'd been following them for a while now it would seem. When it came to how he'd gotten one over on Bickslow, thinking that one good swift blow to the head in a sneak attack from the shadows should have taken him out of the fight, his eyes darted to his brother. Sure enough, blood slowly trickled down his face from the wound near his temple. He frowned when he saw Bickslow sway slightly before regaining his balance with Lucy's help.

Virgo appeared in that moment, without Lucy having called her, holding a silk robe out. Bickslow nodded and draped it around the blonde's shoulders, smiling when she pushed her arms though the sleeves before wrapping it around her and tying it securely at her waist. Kaleb didn't miss the kiss Lucy placed on Bickslow's cheek for '_protecting her body from wandering eyes_' and only smirked at his little brother when their eyes met.

"Right, so, this piece of shit needs to be taught some manners. First off… you don't sneak up on mages when they're trying to sleep- it's bad form. Second, you don't assume you've already won without fighting said mages… arrogance _isn't_ sexy-"

"Ew… Bix… _he's_ not _sexy_ at all!"

"Never said he was, Cosplayer. He's not sexy at all."

*Not sexy* *No chance* *Can't get a girl* *Can't get a man either* *No fun time for him* *So sad*

"_Thirdly_, and this one is super important, you never get handsy with a Celestial mage who can kick even _my_ ass and have fun doing it!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and Kaleb chuckled. Five minutes felt like five hours to Lucy who clung to Bickslow's side, using him to lean on since most of the furniture in the room was overturned; she flat out refused to go near the bed with the thing sitting at the end of it.

Bickslow didn't have a chance to react before Laxus and the rest were filing into the room, ready to fight. He rolled his eyes when they fell on his little brother, even if that was putting it lightly. Cristoff Pradesh may have been younger than him, but he physically outranked the seith mage. It didn't help that he was a lunar dragon slayer and was a powerhouse in his own right.

Cristoff eyed Bickslow and Lucy, clucked his tongue and started fussing over both of them. Bickslow gave Kaleb a pointed look and rolled his eyes- it figured he'd call their brother to help.

_Enough. He was already at the embassy in Crocus, so I didn't pull him too far away from home._

"It'd do you good to hold still, Bickslow." Cristoff huffed, growling slightly when his hands were batted away for the tenth time in a row.

"I'm _fine_."

Lucy frowned. "Bix…?"

Bickslow's red eyes softened towards the celestial mage. "It's ok, Cosplayer… this is Cristoff. He's being his typical mother hen self, that's all."

"I gathered who it was the first time you said his name, Bix, and just now when he called you big brother. You should hold still… you got your head hit by a marble statue…"

"I'm fine, Cosplayer. Get yourself checked out first, yeah?"

Lucy huffed, but silently conceded. The bruises she'd gotten from being thrown into the dresser were healed as were the cuts on her hands, forearms, and cheek from broken mirror glass. She frowned when Bickslow batted his brother's hands away again and moved to stand closer to Kaleb who had started interrogating the man.

"Bix?"

Bickslow arched an eyebrow and moved closer to Lucy again, blinking when she pushed him gently into a chair. "I told you, I'm fine Lucy."

"You're still bleeding, and you can't stand straight without swaying. Let him help you. Please?"

Bickslow sighed. "Fine." He ignored the smirks from those still present and turned to his brother, waiting for news.

Kaleb smirked, taking in the interaction between his little brother and the determined celestial mage, hoping all the more they'd pull their heads out of their asses, and own up to their more than suppressed feelings. It was the sentiment of near everyone in the room, save for Cristoff and Cana- the former not perfectly understanding the situation and the later too jealous of her blonde friend to be happy for her.

"He works for a small guild here in Crocus. They kidnap tourists and sell them to slave traders in the area. He saw Lucy for the first time a few weeks ago when he was in Magnolia on business. When he saw her today in Crocus, he took the opportunity to snatch her as a gift for the guild leader. He also wanted Bickslow here to warm his bed at the same time."

Of the dragon slayers in the room who'd growled after hearing that, Bickslow mused his brothers growl was the most vicious; no one messed with their family and escaped unharmed.

Bickslow sneered at the man, finding himself sickened. "I already told you… _so_ not my type."

"Because we all know who your type is." Cana muttered under her breath. She rolled her eyes when Laxus cut his eyes to her in warning.

"He knows where to find Raven Tail, Laxus." Cobra whispered.

Even Kaleb nodded. "They've been hiding on the border between Bosco and Dawn City."

Cobra groaned. "Dammit. I hate that place."

"Only because you have a reputation to maintain." Bickslow smirked.

Laxus eyed Kaleb. There were now two reasons he wanted to go to Dawn City. "Let's return the pet to his masters. I'm sure they're missing him by now."

"Aw, a pity we're not going to play with him first." Ever pouted.

"Who said we can't play with him on the way? So long as there are no visible marks when we pass through towns, they'll never know the difference." Freed wondered.

Cana blinked at the rune mage. "I thought you were docile… and proper."

"Freed loves his friends dearly and jealously… he's like a dragon slayer that way. This man intended to harm not one but _two_ of them. He won't let that slide." Ever patted Cana on the shoulder patronizingly.

Lucy sniffed indifferently but sent Freed a small smile in appreciation. "I could care less what happens, so long as the trash is disposed of properly… it stinks."

Cana frowned at Lucy's statement; she wasn't the same- hadn't been- since Tartaros. She just couldn't put her finger on one particular instance that would cause such a drastic change in the blonde. She knew that if Lucy wasn't so powerful, if Bickslow wasn't so agile and hadn't been there to help, the man- who lay locked in a deep sleep thanks to Cristoff's magic- bound in chains on the floor may have very well stolen Lucy away from them.

Gajeel sneered once more at the man on the floor. He didn't make a big deal of showing affection to many, but Lucy was kin and he was protective to a degree. He knew she could handle herself, knew that if she'd been in real trouble, he would have felt it- all the slayers would have. With a nod to all of them he left, intent on allowing sleep to pull him under.

"We'll deal with it all in the morning and head out tomorrow after breakfast. Now get some sleep. We're all tired as fuck." Laxus decided.

"Fucking finally." Cobra snarked. "All the touchy-feely bullshit is making my stomach hurt. I'd like to keep my dinner _down_ if you don't mind." He was met with chuckles from the rest of the group as they filed out of the room and down the hallway to their respective beds.

Lucy grabbed Bickslow's hand before he could leave. She gave him a small smile and opened her mouth to talk before she faltered. Tears welled in her eyes as the entirety of the night settled over her.

"What's up Cosplayer?"

"I…"

"Lucy?"

"Stay… please?"

Bickslow smiled and pulled her to him, wrapping her in a hug. He pulled the comforter over to the love seat in front of the room's fireplace and, after righting it, patted the space beside him. She didn't have to say another word to him. He understood all too well that she wasn't scared, she just didn't want to be alone. Lucy smiled and curled up against his side, her head on his shoulder with one hand resting on his chest.

"Thanks Bix."

"Anytime, Cosplayer. Anytime."

It was how they were found the next morning when the dragon slayers had come to right the furniture in the room before leaving. Laxus gave his fellow blonde a knowing look, and even Cristoff smirked at his big brother. The two merely rolled their eyes and helped to put the room to rights, packed their things and paid their dues before leaving. There was still a mission to complete, after all.


	9. Chapter 9

_08_

_Quiet, gasping sobs woke Alti from her sleep. She pushed past her grogginess and annoyance, looking around her own dimly lit cell, trying to pinpoint the sound of the crying. Ariana met her gaze and winced when she moved. She'd been sent to bathe one of the more randy gladiators only hours earlier and she was still slightly tender. Hn, so it wasn't her cellmate crying, but one of the new girls they'd brought in as a replacement. _

_Alti sighed. She'd been in the coliseum for little over two months now. For two months, she'd had to contend with the other women, the guards, and the gladiators. Each group dared to try and break her spirit. Each group was quick to learn she wasn't so easy to break. It gave the women in the cells closest to her hope that they'd leave, and it gave the guards something to target their frustrations on. _

"_You alright?" Ariana wondered. She'd seen the girl when they'd dragged her back from '_tending_' to the Snake Charmer. Bruises she was sure weren't from the gladiator covered her skin and, for a time, she wasn't sure if Alti would regain consciousness._

_She huffed. "Eh, I'm sore, but I've been worse."_

"_Heard they set him loose on you as punishment, what'd you do?"_

_Alti smirked. "At least two or three guards won't be getting laid any time soon. Maybe not ever again. Their faces aren't so pretty anymore."_

_Ariana shook her head and chuckled. "I've never met anyone like you before. You're not scared of anything."_

_The smirk slowly faltered. "I am, actually. I'm terrified of dying in a cage." Alti whispered. "I don't want this place to become my tomb. I was born to the Boscan clans… born free. These walls… they're my death personified."_

_Ariana nodded but didn't understand completely. "I was born in a cage… for a time, it wasn't so bad. The woman who nursed me… she held me for two years. I was sold out of this place and given to a new woman after I was weaned from infants milk. She taught me to stay quiet… listen well and always to do what was demanded of me. I went to live with a family three years later, put to work in the kitchens. Small chores because I was still little. _

_The man in charge of me wasn't overly cruel, but he didn't care much for the women in his house either. He was an educated man and didn't lash out in anger. The punishments might have been slightly more severe for the women, but I still found him fair- until the day he just wasn't. I stayed with him until my first cycle. After that, I was traded for a new child and sold back to the coliseum as a woman fit to be bred."_

_Alti winced but kept silent. They'd talked similarly before, but she'd never heard of Ariana's life outside of the walls caging them before. "I'm sorry, Ariana. This life behind a cage is still new to me."_

"_Tell me?"_

"_What do you wish to hear?"_

"_Hmm? Tell me about your clan?"_

_Alti smiled. "My clan… they are a strong people. I grew up under the shadows of tall reaching trees and looming, powerful mountains. Our island was small, but we were _strong_. The boys and girls were taught young to hunt and fish. Each of us was taught to survive the land in all its environments. Most chores were shared… but women still raised children and tended to the homes. Everyone understood their role within the village, and it was peaceful. If something did happen, justice was met in the village ring with either judgement from the elders or a spar between the two offended parties._

_Children were encouraged to explore, to test the limits of their magic if they had any. My friend Nakul would have been a talented animal mage if he'd survived the raid that killed so many of my kin. His older sister was an amazing plant mage. She didn't live past her fifteenth summer._

_We used to get into so much trouble for playing pranks on their older brother. He was born without magic, but he was a gifted musician and a talented tracker and fisher. He would usually get us back for our pranks by luring us to the water with his music and then throwing us into the Grass Sea at low tide when the waters were calm. My father used to tease him and call him a child piper. He'd play music and we'd flock to his side to dance and play. Maybe he was magical after all, no?"_

_Ariana giggled at the images Alti had painted into her head. "It sounds beautiful."_

"_Hmm. It wasn't without its dangers. The spider my clan was named for we called the Fire Belly widow. Their bodies are huge, nearly the size of a man's closed fist. The tops of them are dark brown and the legs look a dull red- the color of blood mixed in the dirt. Their bellies, though, are a gorgeous mix of orange and yellow- the colors of fire. They're beautiful creatures… but they're deadly too. Their poison works on the nerves, enhances every pain receptor in the body as well as paralyzes the victim. It's lethal to get bitten and death takes mere moments."_

"_That's awful!"_

"_I remember as a baby, there was a widow next to where I was to lay sleeping. I reached out to touch it and was bitten. It was the first pain I'd ever endured. The fire of the bite raced through my blood and I remember the screams of my parents when they saw just what sunk its fangs into my skin."_

"_Oh no! But… you survived! You said it was lethal!" _

_Alti nodded. "My mother was a priestess… my father, the strongest of the clan's warriors. I had a brother- a twin called Sai- too. He was the light to my dark magic. We were born able to tolerate the widow toxins- a rare gift in my tribe. My mother's grandfather had the ability. The elders learned of it that day, after hours of praying to the gods for me to be spared."_

"_Those spiders sound horrible!"_

"_They are yes, but my clan respected them even though they could kill with a single bite. There were men in the tribe who built small homes for the spiders each month from rotting wood. As the spiders moved from one place to the next in search of food, the silk webbing they left behind was harvested to make the most beautiful garments and tapestries."_

"_I'm glad the gods spared you. I think I would have been quite a bit more hopeless without your friendship." _

_Alti gave her a small smile. "That was the day the elders learned I had another gift too… magic that sometimes scared them."_

"_What was it?" Ariana noticed most of the women were listening to the quiet conversation. Alti was a gifted storyteller it seemed. Even the crying in the other cells had quieted. There were quiet gasps when the shadows danced subtly in the low light of the fire._

"_My mother said the shadows chose me, just as the light chose Sai. Everything has a reason- always- even if we can't see what the reason is for just yet." She smiled, remembering fondly the woman who would kiss away her every fear, the woman who had loved her without exception._

"_Where my twin was touched by the light of the gods, I was covered in the dark- his opposite at every turn. I was covered by the shadows of the gods, and thus, born with the ability to manipulate them. It was another reason my father demanded I train so hard. When we were initiated as true members of the clan, we surprised the clan elders by performing a unison raid against our opponents. They said because we were bonded as twins, our magic was neutral to one another, but I was always pushed to train harder than Sai."_

"_Why were you singled out?" A woman from the next cell wondered._

"_There are always dark things lurking in the shadows. I heard their whispers and listened to them begging to be set free. I told my father about them, he just told me I had to train to keep them in check. Any time I grew too upset with my own progress and would cry to my father about my fears, he would tell me that so long as I held tight to the love of friends and family, nothing within the shadows would ever harm me."_

"_But shadow magic… that's dark magic, isn't it?" Another of the women chimed in and asked. _

"_Not always. My mother and father never saw me as dark or evil, none of the elders did either. They were more afraid of what could happen to me if I gave _in_ to the shadows. They understood well what lives in the darkness." Alti said with a small smile. "I was pushed from a young age to start mastering my magic because of their fears. I've only lost that control once, and it wasn't a pretty sight."_

"_So, you control the darkness?" Ariana wanted to understand. _

"_No, not so much the darkness. My mother said there were few blessed with such gifts when I was born to the clan. Long ago, there were many more, but it's a rarity now. I'm something _more_ than an average shadow mage. I don't just _hide_ in the shadows, I can _use_ them, make them do things I want on a whim. They gave me comfort when I couldn't run to anyone else. I hate not feeling my magic clearly now- stupid cuffs." She growled._

"_I wish I could feel my magic at all. You must be so strong." One of them huffed. "I feel like a smoldering pile of ash now without my fire."_

_Alti snorted. "Not really. I feel my magic because I was born with it, I just can't access all of it. It's like a sheet of glass or a frozen pond. You can see it, can touch the surface of it, but can't sink yourself into it."_

_The conversation was stopped short when two guards stopped in front of her cell. "Oh look, the bitch is awake. Let's go. You're wanted. The captain of the guard says you still need to be punished for assaulting his men. They've died from the wounds you gave them you fucking maggot."_

_Alti snorted. "I'm not stopping you." _

"_Oh no, little maggot. Put this on her first, wench." He ordered of Ariana, throwing a gag into their cell. He smirked when Alti's eyes widened in anger. "Now!"_

_Ariana shook with nearly as much repressed rage as Alti, but did as she was told, apologizing quietly in Alti's ear. "One day soon." She promised the other girl._

_A blow to her stomach had Ariana recoiling in their cell, leaving Alti free to lung towards the guard. She was pulled up short by the collar around her throat and kicked hard to the ground. The remaining guards jumped on her then, kicking and punching where they could. _

"_Enough, she's for the captain to abuse." He smirked at the hatred burning in Alti's eyes. "I can promise you, bitch, I'll see the fire in those disgusting eyes dulled or kill you trying." He promised quietly. With a blow to the head, everything faded and Alti was left to the mercies of the guards._

Laxus growled and bolted awake, his breathing labored as he struggled to find his bearings. He collided with a solid mass of muscle, bringing them both to the floor, one hand around a surprisingly tender neck before his vision cleared. He blinked and frowned in confusion when he saw Kaleb under him, hands held upwards in surrender, laying perfectly still.

"Dammit. Sorry Kaleb." Laxus huffed and helped the mindbender up.

"Don't apologize." Kaleb chuckled and sat close to the other hulking blonde on the bed. "You know, Cris can put you to sleep for the rest of the night and you'd actually wake up less grumpy in the morning."

"Ha fucking _ha_. I just don't fucking understand why the hell I'm dreaming about some damn _girl_!" He growled, lightning sparking over his arms. "Was I fucking cursed and don't know it?"

"Easy… Dawn City hotel owners don't ask too many questions, but they will take offense if you damage _too_ much property. We'll get to the bottom of the dreams, don't worry too much." Kaleb teased.

Laxus sighed. "Did you see that one?"

"I saw the end of it… She's a fighter… most of the other women on the outskirts of that dream were terrified."

"Kaleb… I think she's kind of like Vander. I've never seen her make weapons or anything in any of the dreams, but I've seen her using shadows to create things… and to hide and move in… no ordinary shadow mage can do that." Laxus whispered. He showed his fellow guild master every last bit of his dream he could remember.

Kaleb swallowed, but nodded. His little brother was thought to be the last ever shadowquip mage known to exist. He knew there were other clans besides Vander's that been rumored to have harbored shadowquip mages- they just didn't openly brag about the fact. If he could prove the magic was alive in at least one other person? He owed it to his brother and his family to help them. He owed it to the girl Laxus was dreaming about.

"I'll have to look into this. It's… it's a lot to hope for, but I don't want to be wrong if I can tell my baby brother he's not alone."

"Do you think your dad would know why I'm having these weird dreams?"

"He may. We could ask him." Kaleb grinned when Laxus fell backwards on the bed.

His heavily muscled arm was thrown over his eyes and he nearly whined in frustration. "Ugh. I hate these fucking dreams." He growled, his body tense with stress and restlessness.

Kaleb's eyes raked over the gorgeous expanse of flesh in front of him. "I can help you forget the dreams, Laxus." He couldn't be blamed for anything, he was Boscan and Laxus was gorgeous. He also already knew how the other Guildmaster felt.

Laxus eyed the blonde at his side and smirked when he saw thinly veiled lust shining in his friend's lavender eyes. "What'd you have in mind?"

Kaleb leaned over him, nose brushing at the skin of Laxus' neck before nibbling teasingly at his ear. He grinned when the burly dragon slayer moaned. "I think you'll like how I can make you forget the dreams." His teeth nipped at the tendons in his throat, pulling a rumbling purr from the dragon slayer.

"Share pleasure with me, Laxus." He whispered before Laxus flipped them both, their lips sealing in a heated kiss.

They'd just removed the last barrier of clothing from their bodies with Laxus' lips stretched tightly around Kaleb's cock when a strong knock came through the door. Laxus growled and Kaleb huffed, the huff turning into a frustrated whine when the heat of Laxus' mouth left him. Why did guildmaster's never have time to themselves?

"What the fuck do you want?!" Laxus snapped.

"Yo, boss man, Cobra's back… finally got a hold of his contacts here in the city. Oh, and uh… Lucy got into a fight with some chick at the bar…"

"What?! Who the fuck let her go to the bar alone?!" Laxus moved to stand from the bed, hastily pulling his pants up to sit loosely around his waist. He turned back to Kaleb, left a bruising kiss of apology on his lips, promising him they'd find some time together to relax soon.

Kaleb only chuckled. "We're not promised, Laxus. You don't have to apologize to me."

"I hate leaving _anyone_ unsatisfied. Promised or _not_."

Kaleb groaned again- the blonde was fucking sexy- and sighed before moving to dress as well. "Fair enough. We will be finishing this conversation later. I hope you can understand that."

Laxus looked back over his shoulder and smirked. "I'm completely ok with that. Now, let me go deal with my crazy ass little sister."

Bickslow smirked at the hotel staff who were staring in disbelief when the door was roughly ripped opened. Laxus had neglected to put a shirt on in his haste to get to his kin- little trouble magnet that she was. The seith let his eyes rake over his friends tightly muscled figure and could openly admit that Laxus was gorgeous. With his blonde hair and grey eyes, not to mention the rippling muscles under a tattooed canvas of skin that was a little exotic by Fiore's standards, he definitely turned heads no matter where he went, however, Bickslow was too wrapped up in Lucy to do anything about it. Boscan or not, he couldn't help who his heart wanted, and that happened to be the blonde haired, brown eyed celestial heart of Fairy Tail.

Kaleb smirked down at his little brother when he moved to exit the room. "I heard all that."

"And you were _so_ gonna tap that."

Kaleb shrugged. "Boscan, remember."

"Hn, _pleasure is pleasure_." Bickslow grinned.

"Indeed." Kaleb answered with a grin of his own, his eyes raking down the lightning dragon slayer's backside.

"Tell me why Blondie got into a fight." Laxus huffed, ignoring them both. _Boscans. Gorgeous beyond fucking belief, Boscans._

Bickslow cleared his throat and fought to hide his blush as he ran a hand through his hair roughly. "Some crazy girl that Cobra used to know spotted us all having a couple drinks. You know Cosplayer went with him to meet his contact. Her in that outfit…"

Kaleb laughed at his brothers glazed over eyes. "Focus, Bix!"

"Uh… yeah, anyway… Cobra told her they weren't together. Said she was with me… said we were part of the same guild, ya know? So, she invites Cobra and I to join her bedroom, completely snubbed Cosplayer… so she repaid her in kind…"

"Oh?"

"Told the girl _I_ at least wasn't interested in sleazy leftovers… said I had a _real woman_ who could keep his attention without having to bribe him into her room." Bickslow grinned.

Kaleb's eyebrow arched. "Is that so?"

Bickslow shrugged. "She wasn't wrong- for the most part- but it still got her a smack from said sleazy leftovers. Well, she retaliated with a smack of her own that wasn't a smack, it was more of a punch. After that, it was the hair pulling and proverbial claws from sleazy leftovers…that turned into a cat fight that was just slightly unevenly matched because Cosplayer fights really dirty… and uh… it may or may not have ended with a glass of ale cracking over said sleazy leftovers' head by Cosplayer…"

"So… to get this straight before I rain holy hell on my kin…" Laxus blinked, "you inadvertently started a bar fight between two women because you and Cobra got invited to a threesome and Blondie got snubbed in the process?"

"Uh… yeah?"

Kaleb's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter as he shuffled through his little brother's memories of the night. This, he told himself, he had to see first-hand even as Bickslow explained it in detail to Laxus before they got down to the first-floor dining area of the hotel. By the time they saw Cobra and Lucy, who was holding a towel with ice above her knuckles, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Save for her knuckles being split open and some scratches on her face and chest that would be healed in mere seconds by Cristoff when he saw her, she didn't have a single injury.

Laxus only shook his head, trying to hide the smirk on his face. "Only you, Blondie. Only you."

"What? I was only playing it up since Cobra made her think Bix and I were together."

The only one who missed the way her eyes saddened was Bickslow. Even Kaleb heard the resonate, '_I wish_,' from the blonde's beautiful mind. It was a thought that echoed within the mind of his brother and had him almost groaning in frustration. These two were going to kill him with their unresolved issues.

Laxus and Cobra huffed but ignored the others. Now wasn't the time or place for it. "Tell me what you found out." Laxus sighed. He just wanted whatever nightmare he'd been thrust into to be over with already.


	10. Chapter 10

09

Two weeks had quickly turned to three, and three to four. Now, nine weeks after learning about the mage trafficking and kidnapping ring- frustrated, tired and borderline murderous- the teams were no closer to finding answers than they had been when they'd started in Crocus. They'd traveled to Dawn City where they had indeed returned their pet to his master after having sucked every last viable detail of his part in the operations thus far from his mind. They'd also learned that the guild Raven Tail was no longer controlled by Ivan Dreyar.

Ivan Dreyar was dead according to all who knew him. Even the man they'd interrogated swore he'd been killed long before the kidnappings started. He swore Ivan had died in Bosco six years earlier during some meaningless clan raid. He even laughed at the stupidity of the clans and their meaningless fighting, something that had the Boscans in the room fighting to quell their anger seeing as each of them were clan born.

It made no sense to the blonde dragon slayer, who as far as he knew, didn't have any familial ties in Bosco that would attract his father. While Laxus found some closure, now there was a burning need to know the how and why of things. Why had they- whoever '_they_' were- decided to resurrect and fly the flags and banners of Raven Tail. Why had his dad left the guild in the first place? Why had he made a new life for himself in Bosco, neglecting his only son in Fiore?

They'd traveled to Bosco after that to gather the last two people they'd wanted for their mission. Lucy fawned over Vander the second she met him, much to Bickslow's annoyance. It wasn't until after he'd laid the charm on entirely too thickly for all her kin's liking that she sidled up to him, leaned in close with their lips millimeters apart and told him in no uncertain terms, his charms wouldn't work on her and he was like the little brother she'd never had but always wanted.

She'd smirked at the look of horror that danced its way openly across his handsome face while his siblings, along with Cobra and Laxus and Presca openly howled and guffawed at his misfortune. Vander had never been turned down so thoroughly in such a provocatively innocent way and, as such, he deemed Lucy the master of devious.

Lucy only shrugged and ignored the comments from everyone after she was introduced formally to Presca who thanked her for the entertainment of the hour. Her friends didn't need to know there was only room for one Pradesh sibling in her heart, even if the seith mage would never accept it. Too bad Kaleb and Cobra heard every thought and felt her every longing to be with said seith mage.

Vander took the ribbing well enough, and even adopted Lucy as an older sister of sorts- treating her no different than any of his other siblings- and promptly started a prank war to cure his immediate boredom. He turned his attentions to Cana, who ate up his charm like candy, not to the surprise of those gathered and ignored Gajeel after he told the shadowquip he would definitely never be interested.

The trip to Pelerno on the airship was filled with pranks, teasing and laughter- enough that the entire group was relaxed and thoroughly sated- and recharged enough to focus on the work ahead of them by the time they disembarked to find a car waiting for them at the sky port.

Lucy grinned when Bickslow explained that Thane, Kaleb's personal aide let slip to their dad that they would all in Bosco at the same time. He grinned when he told her they were all expected to make an appearance in front of Arman. The promise of an uninterrupted bath did wonders to entice the celestial mage as well.

"You're gonna love him, Cosplayer! The estate and the grounds are to die for too!"

"Is that so?" She grinned.

"Just you wait! The property backs up to the Grass Sea… dad has his own private beach! Plenty of swimming and fun to be had!"

"It sounds amazing, Bix!"

His joy was infectious and soon both of them were laughing and teasing one another without a care of any who watched them. It wasn't until Lucy was separated for a few moments that she remembered she wasn't in Fiore anymore. She apologized profusely when she bumped into the strong- very naked- chest of a stranger, fighting down her blush of embarrassment.

"You, my dear, are simply breath taking!"

She blushed and raked her eyes over the crowd. "Uh… thanks…"

"Tell me, are you promised?"

She cleared her throat, trying to meet his gaze, as she mulled his question over in her head. What did that mean, was she promised? Was he asking if she was engaged?

Bickslow came to the rescue before she could actually answer and threw an arm over her shoulder. A kiss was placed to her temple even as a whispered, 'play along' sounded in her ear. He told the- admittedly gorgeous- man who'd sought her company she was, in fact, promised and didn't like causing scenes in public. He smirked when he heard a muttered 'Some guys have all the luck,' before steering the blonde towards her bags.

"His friends are staring, Bix." Lucy whispered, turning her attention to the seith mage in time to catch the mischief dancing in his gaze.

"Let them think what they want Cosplayer." He breathed into her ear. He grinned and pulled her back to his chest. "You're not doing anything wrong; I swear it." He whispered, running his nose along her neck while wrapping his arms around her waist when he noticed the blush rising in her cheeks at the implications he'd just made known to a complete stranger. "If it means he and his buddies stop chasing after you, let them think we're promised." He kissed her temple for added effect, causing an older couple to coo at the sweet actions.

"We're going to have to find somewhere to sit so you can explain all that to me you know…" She mused.

"Oh yeah? I'm happy to share anything about my culture you want to know." He grinned.

"Good, once we're settled and you've had time to talk to your dad come and find me, kay?"

He only chuckled. "Sure, Cosplayer, I'll find you." _I'll always find you._

Lucy sighed as she sat on the beach to watch the sun set over the Grass Sea, a smile crossing her lips as the breeze moved through her blonde hair. Her first encounter in Bosco may have very well gone in a completely different direction without the steady presence of the seith mage, and she'd only been there for a week and a half.

He'd kept his promise, drug her to the study and explained things to her in a manner that made her feel comfortable. Growing up in Fiore, she was used to people frowning on any kind of sexual act, but in Bosco, it was openly discussed. He told her what it meant to be promised, to enter into an engagement and finally a marriage. Women held almost all the power, and were cherished beyond belief, something she told him her father had lied about.

'_Really?'_

'_Mhm. He said they were objectified and all the whores in Fiore were banished to Bosco to be used by the men.'_

'_What a load of bullshit! Is that why the women are so repressed?!'_

_Lucy giggled. 'It might be part of it. Women in high society are told that being a virgin before marriage is an _honor_. We're to _wait_ for our parents to find us a husband because _they_ understand what's _best_ for us. It doesn't matter that sometimes the man is twenty or thirty years older than the woman, if it's a smart match, it's contracted and completed.'_

_Bickslow only snorted, grateful beyond words for his Boscan heritage._

'_Seriously, Cosplayer, Fiore's laws are just stupid!'_

_Her eyes rolled. 'I'm starting to see that. And, for what it's worth, thanks Bix.'_

'_For what?'_

'_You could have let me flounder my way through my first encounter. You saved me.'_

'_Shit, it was nothin.'_

_She leaned in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. 'It wasn't nothing to me, Bix.' _

The memories she was creating with him and his family were precious to her, pushing her to finish her mission and maybe even tell her best friend- she found it amusing that he'd stolen the spot from Natsu so easily- she'd fallen in love with him. Maybe he could be the person to fill the raw, gaping hole in her heart. She almost didn't want to hope for fear he'd only laugh at her childish feelings.

_Ugh. Stop thinking about it, Lucy. Remember where you are! Remember where you're staying! Remember who's house you're staying in you idiot!_

Bickslow had definitely been right. She was grateful for the chance to meet a long-time idol of hers, to just be able to sit with Arman Pradesh was something she never thought she'd ever do. To stay in his home was a dream come true, but to meet his family, and be included as a friend of said family was something else altogether.

The man was a never ending well of knowledge, and she, Freed and Arman talked about everything under the sun from magic, to books, to politics. She found him charming, kind and doting- everything she'd ever wished her own father could be. It hurt sometimes, to know that some bridges could never be mended, but any time Arman found her withdrawing from those around her, he'd tell her a story about her mother, and she was right as rain after.

"I thought I'd find you here." A voice mused from behind her.

She didn't even jump, her small smile transforming into a grin. "It's so peaceful here. I just love it!"

Bickslow chuckled as he made himself a comfortable seat beside her. "I loved it too. I hated having to leave."

"I'm sorry you missed out of growing up with your family, Bix. They're wonderful!" Lucy still frowned at the injustice done to the seith mage- having to get smuggled from his home country all because a few seith mages ruined it for them all.

"No, don't be sorry Cosplayer. If I hadn't left, I'd never have met Laxus or joined Fairy Tail. I might never have gotten as strong as I am now. I'd definitely never have the friends I do. I missed my family every day, but I'm glad in a way for the time spent away from them."

Lucy turned to him with a ready smile, only to frown. "Bix, you're wearing the tin can again." She huffed.

He smirked. "You mean it's not a sexy look?"

"Ugh, no!" Her nose scrunched up and she frowned. "You know the stipulations to any conversations we have."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I remember. You promised that if I ever wore the helmet around you when we're not in the safety of the guild hall or somewhere private, you'd rip it off my head."

She gave no warning before she tackled him to the sand, straddling his waist after pinning him down. Minutes later, a triumphant cry escaped her lips as the helmet slid gently from his head. The grin fell from her lips though when Bickslow's shock wore off and he flipped them, easily pinning her beneath the weight of his own body.

"Fancy meeting you here, Cosplayer." He grinned, his tongue lolling from between his pouty lips.

Her eyes rolled. "Fancy that indeed, let me up, Bix."

"Aww, but you make such a comfy pillow."

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to push him off of her. "Come on Bix, you're heavy!" She pouted.

"Well that's just not nice! Are you calling me _fat_?" He gasped in a falsely posh voice.

"I wouldn't say that, _exactly_." Her lips twitched in an effort to not smile.

"For _that_, I think I'll stay _right_ where I am!" He smirked and let his body rest more solidly over her own. He was quite heavy when he wanted to be, and he knew that Lucy wouldn't be able to move him unless he wanted her to.

Her hands moved from his shoulders down his chest to his ribs, trying to find some leverage to push him off of her. She ignored the feel of his muscles beneath the skin-tight shirt he wore, desperate to keep her body under control. She halted when she heard a snort escape his lips after her fingers danced over his sides.

_There was no way. He couldn't be, could he?_

Lucy fought to keep the smile out of her voice. "Bix…are you… you're not ticklish, _are_ you?"

"Don't even _try it_, Cosplayer." Bickslow warned her with the promise of retribution in his narrowed red eyes.

Lucy smirked. "Try what? _This_?" Her legs hooked around his waist to keep him pinned to her while her fingers danced over his sides, evading his grip as he struggled to contain her and keep her close all at the same time.

"Shit… stop! Cosplayer, stop! That's not… even fucking… dammit… so not funny… come on… please?!" Bickslow's deep, rich laughter washed over her as they rolled across the sand before he finally pinned her again, with her hands above her head. He was stretched over her, with her legs wrapped around his waist as she tried and failed several times to flip him again.

"Gotcha." He said with a grin. Both were breathing heavily as they stared into each other's eyes.

Lucy gave him a toothy smile and shifted in the sand, trying to loosen his grip on her wrists. She licked her dry lips when she felt a strong rush of desire settle over her senses because of that one action.

Bickslow swallowed hard and shook his head, "Nice try sweetheart. Did you forget, I'm a lot stronger than I look?"

"Maybe." She admitted sheepishly. "Let me up Bixy." She squirmed again, looking for the leverage she'd need to flip their positions.

"Nuh uh. You have to promise me first you won't try to tickle me again today, Cosplayer." He grinned at the pout that danced over her lips.

Lucy laughed breathlessly. "No more tickling."

"I didn't hear you promise. Come on, I know you by now! You're promises are completely binding."

She huffed but laughed again, loving the sparkle in his eyes. "Fair enough. I promise, no more tickling today." She finally whispered.

His hands slowly moved from hers, his fingers unintentionally dragging down the skin of her arms before coming to rest by her head to better distribute his weight. He swallowed thickly again, losing himself to the richness of her captivating brown eyes. He inched closer, the growing need to feel her lips on his nearly too much to ignore anymore. "Lucy, I…"

Lucy's hands moved slowly over his chest to rest, one wrapped around his shoulder and the other against the smooth expanse of his strong neck, guiding him down to press more firmly over her body. "Bix…"

He was so close she could feel it across her face as he worked to control his panting from their earlier playing. Just an inch more, and they'd finally kiss. She swallowed thickly, shifting her body slightly to welcome the weight of the man above her between her open thighs as her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation.

"Lucy?! Bickslow?! Are you two out here?" The spell the two were under was broken as Bickslow yanked away from Lucy as though she'd burned him.

"Hey! There you two are! We've been looking all over for you! Food is almost ready. We've got like ten minutes or so before we can sit at the table. Arman said to come inside."

Bickslow stood and brushed the sand from himself before grabbing his helmet, ensuring it was securely in place, all without a backwards glance to the blonde still sitting on the ground. He cleared his throat and turned towards Cana. "Thanks for letting us know. Let my dad know I need to get cleaned up before I can eat, would ya?"

Without another word, he walked off leaving Cana staring at Lucy in confusion. For her part, Lucy stood, brushed the sand from herself and refused to make eye contact with the card mage, trying instead to steady her heart and calm her emotions.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"No, Cana." Lucy turned to smile at her friend- even if it was only halfhearted. "Nothing at all of the sort."

Cana eyed her for a moment, before turning away from the blonde. "Come on, dinner is ready… Laxus wants us to get to bed early so we can make an early go of things tomorrow."

The blonde's throat cleared. "Uh, yeah… sure. I'm gonna go freshen up first… get all the sand off of me." She refused to let her friend see the tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure… I'll let them all know." Cana told her with a nod. If she were honest with herself, she would tell Lucy she knew exactly what she'd just broken up when she'd come to collect the two, but jealousy kept her lips sealed as she followed the celestial mage back to the house.


	11. Chapter 11

10

The gathered mages at the Pradesh dining table all looked up towards the stairs when they heard two distinct doors slam closed at separate times. Cana's barely schooled features as she sat back down at the table didn't sit too well with those gathered either, but no one said a word about it.

"Where are Bix and Lucy?" Ever wondered.

"They're freshening up first before they come to eat. They were out on the beach and said they needed to get the sand off of themselves."

Cobra arched an eyebrow at the card mage before his eye widened in shock. He didn't even have to see his kin yet, but he knew there was something wrong with her. The moment she stepped foot into the dining room, Cobra had Lucy by the wrist dragging her away; she was six seconds away from flooding the room with tears and he knew she'd rather cry in private before pretending everything was fine.

If the Fairy Tail mages thought anything of the strange behavior, they kept it to themselves. The only thing Kaleb found in their minds was worry for their friend and an understanding that she'd talk about it when was ready to and not a second before. It wasn't until his little brother came to eat that his concern deepened. He gave a nod to his family and dragged Bickslow away to his room with Cristoff- and surprisingly Freed- hot on his heels.

Vander, who had taken a liking to the blonde that his brother was head over heels for, had to know what made them both so upset; he was going to start with the celestial mage and followed behind her and Cobra. He knew he needed to be careful- one slip up would send the dragon slayer in the room on full alert and ruin his reconnaissance- and he thanked years of work for the Steel Council that he was able to sneak into the room she'd holed herself up in undetected. He'd seen his brother like this before, when he'd tried to offer his heart to a woman only to have it stamped on and refused. He didn't think Lucy would do that, but he had to be sure. As much as he liked her, family meant everything to him, and he'd do anything to protect any one of them.

Lucy took in the overstuffed bookshelves and smiled slightly in appreciation of her kin; Cobra knew her too well, it seemed. He'd brought her to a place she'd relax. The smile slid from her lips, though, when she thought of the last time she'd used this room to talk. Bickslow was so sweet and understanding the first night. Now, all she saw was the agitation in his red eyes.

"Talk to me, Tink."

"I don't… it's just…we… and then he... but I mean… ugh!"

"Use your _words_, Tink. I need _words_ to understand, not fragmented sentence starters. It's uncouth." Cobra snarked, knowing full well he was sounding like a pompous ass on purpose.

Vander arched an eyebrow and smirked, very much appreciative of the gorgeous specimen of muscle-bound sass.

"Why do _I_ have to be everything he'll _never_ want?! Why did I have to mess it up so _bad_?!"

"What do you think you've messed up so horribly?" He wondered.

Lucy gave him a watery chuckle when Cobra only rolled his eye. "My friendship with a certain seith mage you just love to hate."

Cobra huffed. "You're stalling, Tinkerbell. And I don't _hate_ him. I happen to think he's cool as fuck, and his sense of humor is fucking wicked. But all that is beside the point."

Her brown eyes closed to try and keep the tears at bay. "We almost kissed."

"Ok… That's a bad thing, _how_ exactly? You should have kissed him stupid a thousand times _over_ by now." Cobra asked with an arched eyebrow.

Vander wanted to know the same thing, even if he had to bite his lip against the laughter that wanted to escape. He made a mental note that he needed spend more time with the snarky dragon slayer. The man was just too hilarious.

"It's bad, _Erik_, because he's my _best friend_. It's _bad_ because I'm too different to any girl he's ever been with at home- I'm not a brunette with green eyes and a stick figure who can outdrink any man in the guild, or a red head who can fight off fifty men in one stroke or a damn blonde with blue eyes who can give him a lap dance whenever he bats his damn eyes! I'm not sexy, or flirty, or outgoing or anything those girls are!"

Cobra snorted but kept silent with her glare. He knew who she was referring to, but he knew that Bickslow didn't like the card mage in that way, nor did he like requip mage that way. He knew the seith mage preferred blondes, but he knew there was one blonde who set the bar for his standards, and she was sitting right next to him.

Even Vander rolled his eyes. _Women._

"I think you underestimate yourself, Tink. You're flirty around him, and he sees it. You're as outgoing as you need to be, and as far as sexy… if my dragon hadn't firmly claimed you as kin, I would have thrown you down on a bed somewhere and fucked the shit out of you the first month after I got branded as one of Makarovs crazy little peons. You're fucking gorgeous. The drunk is cute… sometimes. The general is just fucking scary… even if she _does_ have a nice rack… but damn Tink… you fucking outshine all of 'em." He smirked at the blush plastered over her cheeks. _Yeah, he still had it._

"So, tell me again, why it's a bad thing that you and the soul doctor almost kissed."

"It's _bad_ because I couldn't bare it if things are messed up between us now! Especially now… After Tartaros I just… and Aquarius…"

Vander watched Cobra wince and arched an eyebrow. _So, there's definitely more to the story then. Interesting. _

"Tinker- Lucy- it's _not_ a bad thing-" Cobra tried. He arched an eyebrow in challenge when Lucy glared at him.

"It's a _bad_ thing, Erik, because I _love_ him, and I can _never_ tell him!"

Vander grinned. _Well, this just got even _more_ interesting._

"Why can't you tell him?" He wondered, not following her line of reasoning. "You deserve to be happy too, you know. If you think that happiness is with Bickslow, shouldn't you try? And you know she'd want that for you too."

She sighed and shook her head. "He's one of the greatest guys I know! He's charming, intelligent, sweet, funny, loyal, patient and caring. Sure, he's crude and perverted sometimes, but he's everything I've ever wanted bottled up into one person… I just can't push my feelings onto him though. I'm still so messed up after Tartaros… after Aqua- after she… I know she'd want me to be h-happy… but…" Lucy huffed. "It'll never happen, and I have to learn to deal with that."

By the end of her rant, she was near hyperventilating and Cobra's arms were around her waist in a loose hug while the blonde cried.

_Huh. So far head over heels it's not even funny._

"Bright Eyes, I told you, you should talk to someone about it. You know all that damn depressing mellow drama shit isn't good for you."

"Yeah, well… I have you don't I?"

"I'm not your therapist, sugar tits." He huffed, trying to hide a smile. "Seriously though, talk to someone. That shit messes with your head and you're already bipolar enough without adding to the mix of crazy by bottling emotions." He laid a kiss to the blonde's temple. "And if he can't see how much you could love him, I can always just poison him delirious."

"Absolutely _not_!" Lucy growled. "You're _not_ going to hurt him."

Vander blinked. He hadn't expected Lucy to be so protective of Bickslow. It was rather amusing.

Cobra only snickered. "Sure thing, Bright Eyes. I'll let it slide til he hurts you. After that, I make no promises."

"You keep your talents to yourself, poison lips, or so help me, I'll find a way to freeze that overactive libido all you damn lizards seem to have."

Vander arched an eyebrow from the shadows. _Overactive libidos huh._

"So, now that the flood is over, tell big brother Cobra just how you almost kissed him." Cobra chuckled.

"Oh… er…" She cleared her throat. "Well… he uh… we were talking and he um… he… pinned me after I tackled him to take his visor off… he's heavier than he looks… and… well… I found out he's really ticklish…"

"Uh huh… there's got to be more to it, Tink."

"HepinnedmetothesandandbeforewecouldkissCanafoundus!"

Cobra's lips twitched. Her soul was spewing rainbows and glitter, and he had a crystal-clear picture of what took place, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to tease her.

"Use your words, Bright Eyes."

Lucy huffed. "We wrestled, I got pinned… our lips were millimeters apart, and then Cana came to get us for dinner. Now he's pissed at me. so… there."

Vander fought back his laughter while Lucy stammered her way through her story. Her face was tomato red when she told the man beside her just how good it felt to have Bickslow in between her legs. He waited until she'd finished telling him what took place outside before sliding from the room. _Get all that Kaleb?_ He asked before making his presence known in Bickslow's room.

_I did, yes. Thank you. Their stories line up at least. _

_So, too do the excuses._ Cristoff rolled his eyes. He sighed and eyed his big brother while he paced back and forth. _This is almost too painful to watch._

The seith mage flopped back onto his mattress after venting to Freed, Kaleb and Cristoff, giving much the same version of details as Lucy. They each shared the very real fear of corrupting the fragile line of friendship they'd drawn in the sand. Neither wanted to venture over it for fear of losing the other, but neither would admit that they wanted more than that friendship to the other one either.

"Bixy, you're pouting enough to make even the happiest of muses' cry." Vander mused.

"Fuck off Vander." Bickslow huffed.

"Bix, you should just tell her. I haven't known her as long as you, or Freed or even Kaleb and Laxus, but I know enough about her to know she's not overly cruel. She'd never take advantage of you. And I've seen the way she looks at you."

Freed cleared his throat and nodded in agreement. "Your brother's assessment of Miss Lucy is correct, Bickslow. She has the love of all who meet her, she cherishes your friendship and-."

"Yeah, Freed. _Friendship._" Bickslow spat. "The girl's soul is pure gold. There's no room for something dark like mine. Being her friend is something I've settled for. At least I have that."

Vander only shook his head. _Love. So much drama_. He only wondered how he could manipulate the situation to help the two realize their feelings for one another before the whole house went insane.

_Don't do anything at all Vander. They need to work this out for themselves._

_I wasn't going to interfere… much. _

_Kaleb is right, Vander. They need to talk._

_So, I'll just throw them into a room together then?_

_No!_

_No, you won't._

Vander rolled his eyes as both his brothers yelled at him through the shared mental link established by Kaleb. It only enticed him to make good on his idea even more now. He hated seeing anyone in his family upset. If they waited much longer, he'd interfere. Until then, he'd watch and see what happened.

Yelling down the hall piqued the shadowquip's interest. It wasn't until Gajeel and Laxus appeared in the doorway that Bickslow looked up at all. He arched an eyebrow and waited for his friend to work through his anger enough to speak.

"They found a mass grave. All female mages, all close to the same age- late teens to early twenties- near the borders of Pergrande. Most of them are from Bosco and Fiore." Gajeel informed them. "A few of them are from the Blue Pegasus guild…"

"Does Master Bob know?" Freed wondered.

Gajeel nodded. "Evergreen and the drunk are talking to him now. We still haven't seen the bodies to know who they are, the report just said they had Blue Pegasus guild marks."

Laxus eyed Bickslow for a few minutes, frowning as he took in the unshed tears and obvious pain he was trying to hide behind the stupid mask he was slipping back over his face. The man was his best friend, but Lucy was his little sister. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _Things would be so much easier if the two would just admit their feelings for the other_.

_I can assure you, we all agree with you Laxus. _

"Bix, you good man?"

"Yeah, I'm good bossman. Promise."

Laxus sighed again. "Look, whatever the hell this shit is with you and Blondie? You need to stow it away for later. We need to focus on finding the assholes responsible for these kidnappings." He finally said.

"Sure…I'm fine, I promise."

Laxus frowned. The man looked damn near depressed. _Time for some levity_. "And, for the record, I'm saying it once and only once. She's my kin, Bickslow… I love you both but hurt her… you're considered fair game for my lightning. You'll never need to use hairspray again to make that hair of yours stand on end." That always made him laugh. Laxus frowned when Bickslow only nodded.

Gajeel rolled his eyes, even though he agreed whole heartedly. "She's my kin too. If he doesn't get you with the lightning, I'll pin you down with metal first to ensure maximum pain. Threats aside, you should tell her what you feel."

"Got it. Loud and clear, but there's no reason to threaten something that'll never happen, boss man." Bickslow huffed, holding his hand up to stop his brothers from protesting. Even Freed was silenced with a glare.

"Who told you about the kidnappings?" Kaleb sighed and redirected the conversation.

"Presca. He said he wasn't able to glean any information from the contacts you sent him to talk with but he needed a shower because he felt… less than clean at the moment." Gajeel shrugged.

Vander grinned. "Hn… he's back and he never said a word."

"He probably wanted some peace and quiet for a few hours." Cristoff teased. He knew the two were best friends and that more times than not, Presca was the only one who could keep Vander in line.

"From _me_? Please! _Everyone_ loves being around me!" Vander snickered and turned a triumphant grin on his brothers when even Bickslow cracked a small smile.

Laxus snorted. "Let's go. Blondie is already downstairs and ready to leave."

Kaleb arched an eyebrow. "What motivated her to leave so soon?"

"We owe poison dick and the lion cub for the motivation to leave." Laxus snickered at the answered '_I heard that, Sparky_' coming down the hall. He shrugged at Cristoff's raised eyebrow. Guild rivalries rarely died, and Leo was still a Fairy Tail mage- he just had some added celestial voodoo to his abilities.

Bickslow sighed. "Yeah, alright. We'll be there soon." He promised his brothers and Laxus that he'd be fine once his feet hit the bottom of the stairs and closed the door in their faces to get dressed in peace. Knowing Laxus, he didn't have long to get ready, and he wanted those last minutes spent in solitude before he had to pretend nothing happened between him and his best friend.


	12. Chapter 12

11

Tears welled in the eyes of Lucy and Evergreen as they took in the sight of bodies carelessly thrown into the shallow ditches in front of them- the fourth one they'd found since Presca had delivered the first message a week ago. Kaleb called on just five teams that he completely trusted to be discreet- including his own- and saw to it that each woman was treated with care and respect as they were pulled from the mass graves. Some of the women were no older than twenty by the looks of things.

The stench of death was too much for the women to bare for too long and eventually they moved to higher ground to avoid expelling the contents of their stomachs.

"Who would do something so… cruel?" Lucy wondered.

Evergreen refused to speak after she'd identified the mages from Blue Pegasus. Her time spent there after Laxus was exiled from the guild had left her with a few lasting friendships; Chief among those were Ricko Applico and Dezille Horae. They'd each opened their arms to Ever when she'd first joined the guild and now they were gone- no more easy smiles or gossip in the night about hot boys or places to shop. They were just two of the women in the carelessly dug, shallow graves that had been bound in magical cuffs, left defenseless to the whims of their captors. It was enough to make Evergreen shiver with ill-contained fury.

This was more than some single guild trafficking mages. This was even beyond slavery. The women had been abused; The telltale signs were unmistakable, even down to the way some of them had died. Cobra confirmed each of them was poisoned, he could smell it on them, but each one had different poisons in their systems and a few of them had venoms he'd never tasted before, but the most interesting of them was they were all laced with Havati snake venom.

When Cana and Freed walked towards them to seek a small measure of comfort and, in Freed's case, to check on them, Lucy cleared her throat and politely gave herself an excuse to walk away. She was still slightly bothered by the fact that, had Cana not come to get them for dinner a week earlier, she would have kissed Bickslow- probably done a lot more too right there on the shore of the Grass Sea.

Now though, their friendship was more strained than either had ever dreamed of it being, and their friends were beyond frustrated with the situation. None of them understood why the dynamics of their friendship had changed so drastically or so abruptly, save for Bickslow's brothers and Cobra. Laxus couldn't handle the tension between his kin and his best friend but didn't have a clue how to fix their issues when neither would admit how they really felt about one another _**to**_ each other. The only answers any of the teams got from the pair when asked was, 'I'm fine, really,' and fine, really, they were _not_.

Everyone was ready to scream. Everyone except Cana, who spent most of her time hanging off Bickslow, trying her hardest to make him notice her. She laughed obnoxiously at his lame and half-hearted jokes and went to him for comfort when the day was particularly grueling, even flirted more than usual with him when they'd go to the bars after a hard day of seeking answers and finding dead ends. The only time she wasn't near him anymore was when Freed, Laxus or Evergreen were nearby; the three didn't like the way the card mage clung to Bickslow like a hungry leech- especially in front of Lucy- and they let her know it with their hard stares and Evergreen's scathing replies to any questions she asked.

"What happened between you and Lucy?" Evergreen asked, finally unable to contain her curiosity.

Cana arched a brow. "Nothing happened. Why do you ask?"

"You were sent to get them last week for dinner before Presca brought that message to us. You were smirking when you came back in the room and neither Lucy nor Bickslow have been right sense then."

"What? No-"

"Don't deny it either, I can spot devious a mile away, I'm on a team with Bickslow." Evergreen growled. Bickslow was like a brother to her, and she was protective of family. She'd even admit- to her team only- that she liked Lucy and didn't want to see her hurt.

"Ms. Lucy's actions just now weren't normal either, Cana. She can barely stay in the same area as you for more than five minutes before she's begging off to be alone somewhere. She also won't look anywhere close to you when Bickslow is in the same room." Freed added with a suspicious glare.

Cana frowned. "I have no clue what you two are talking about! I'm sure Lucy is just upset because of the graves! We all are… she's getting along with everyone as well as she can!"

"No, she's really not. Ms. Lucy isn't talking much to anyone other than Cobra, and that's only because he can sense what she's feeling and won't leave her alone when she tells him to go away." Freed informed the fumbling card mage. "She's keeping to herself and hasn't spoken more than two words to Bickslow in a week."

"She hasn't even talked to his babies, and we _all_ know how much she's come to adore those totems!" Evergreen growled. "So, I'll ask you again. _What happened_?"

Cana swallowed thickly and finally took a closer look at Lucy and Bickslow, both looking rundown and tired like everyone else on the surface. Looking closer, each of them also had dark circles under their eyes, but it was more than that even. Both of them looked completely miserable and she frowned deeply; She'd caused them to look like that, she'd done that to her namkama. She'd let her jealousy take hold and interfered again. She shied away from the scowl Evergreen wore when she explained her actions to them and sighed in defeat.

"I just wanted him to notice me. I wanted him to be interested in me like I'm interested in him."

"You mean you wanted him in your bed."

"Well yeah… I mean, we've all heard the stories about how good he is!"

"Cana, how could you? Lucy really likes him!"

"I see that now, ok?! I got jealous of her! She gets everything and all she has to do is bat her pretty brown eyes!"

"Is that really how you feel, Cana?" Freed frowned in confusion. He shared a helpless look with Evergreen, feeling slightly out of his depth; he was an intensely private person, so dealing with things like jealousy in others wasn't something he was used to handling.

Cana sighed. "Sometimes. I mean… people just flock to her, thinking she's some sort of sweet little virgin, and we all know she's _not_. Even here in Bosco… and she doesn't have to try. Guys don't look at me like that unless I'm an obnoxiously drunken flirt. I think Bickslow is sexy as hell, and he's Boscan, so shouldn't he be up for anything?"

Evergreen hissed. "_You_ need to find a way to **fix** **this**! Jealousy and self- pity aside, what you did was wrong! It _hurt_ people. Lucy sees you hanging all over Bix… she thinks he _likes_ you hanging off him like that. I can tell you, he really _doesn't_... clingy women aren't his type, and he doesn't see you like that. He doesn't even like brunettes, he prefers _blondes_. No, he's not promised to anyone, but he still has a _choice_! He chooses who he beds. He chooses who he wants. _**He**__ chooses_, Cana, _not_ **you**!"

"Cana, Ms. Lucy is supposed to be your friend, I agree with Evergreen. You really should find a way to fix this mess and make it up to her."

"And Bix!" Ever snapped.

"Yes, and Bickslow. He was hurt by this as well!"

"**Cristoff**! Quick, over here! They're alive!" Lucy's horrified cry ceased the conversation and had the entire group of mages running to her side. Cuddled in her arms were the near lifeless forms of two small children, both barely breathing. Cristoff was by her side in a second, the soothing touch of his magic bleeding through them in an effort to stabilize them and keep death at bay.

Bickslow swallowed heavily as he took in their small forms. "Kaleb… they're just babies…"

Cristoff took note of the leather arm bands. At least they had names to call them. "The older one has a cuff that says Bastian."

"That sounds like an Iceberg name…" Lucy mused.

"What's the second one called Cristoff?" Evergreen wondered.

Cristoff frowned. "He's called Adri…"

Cana arched an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"It's a Boscan name, Cana. That boy's parents- at least one of them- is or _was_ Boscan." Freed explained quietly.

"Not just Boscan. It's a clan born name…" Kaleb frowned, watching his siblings wince.

Lucy frowned and pulled the tattered shirt from Bastian's side. "Oh…"

"What is _that_?" Evergreen gasped.

Horror danced over Lucy's face at the disfigured mark on the boys' skin where a rune in the shape of an upwards pointing arrow with a downward curved bar over the tip, marred the flesh. Another symbol sat to the left of the arrow in the shape of a cloud surrounded by a crown. Adri had the same arrow marking, but a crown surrounded an eagle instead of a cloud.

She looked up at Cobra and gulped. It was so similar to one of the marks he bore, though they weren't burnt into the skin, but instead inked permanently. He'd told her, during one of their talks in the middle of the night, where some of his scars had come from- especially the brand on his shoulder. Her fingers had traced said scar and he'd hissed. He promised she'd not hurt him, but the mere touch had triggered long suppressed memories.

"Erik…" Her eyes filled tears as she pulled the older of the two to herself once Cristoff deemed him stable.

"Guys, what's wrong with them? What's with the marks on their skin? Are those runes?!" Cana asked with a shaking voice.

Vander hissed when he saw them, his eyes going wide. "It's a slave mark."

"These boys were more than likely born as slaves to someone." Cobra confirmed, his tone somber. "Don't cry for them, Tink. Or you, Drunk." He'd told her the same thing about himself. He'd survived, there was no need for pity. "They don't need your pity." He snapped at Levy when she opened her mouth to argue.

"It's not a pity you stubborn, overgrown reptile. It's sorrow and anger." Lucy huffed. Vander eyed the two with an arched eyebrow.

Cobra shook his head and tried not to grin. She'd told him the same thing when he'd caught a whiff of saltwater and turned to see her crying while her fingers traced his own scars.

"It would explain the malnutrition." Cristoff sighed. He ignored the odd comments from the poison dragon slayer and Lucy, figuring the conversation was an inertly private one- and one they'd had multiple times before from the sounds of things.

"Who could be that cruel to a child?" Evergreen wondered.

Lucy sniffled. "They can't be any older than 4 or 5."

Cana nodded slowly. "The smaller one looks no older than three… if he's even _that_ old."

Laxus frowned and eyed the toddlers. "How did they end up in a mass grave barely alive in the first place?"

"All I'm getting from them is flashes… images of crates… and moving? Voices yelling…" Cobra growled in frustration. He hated not having any answers.

"They must have hidden in the crates and ran away." Gajeel mused.

Lucy cooed. "Clever boys. You're both so brave! You're going to make it now. You're safe with us."

Kaleb frowned. "Their memories are in chaos. All I'm seeing are glimpses of men in lab coats. Maybe a hospital of some kind. There's a woman with each of them- their mothers?"

"I know what those women are to them." Cobra sneered. "Before Brain took me… there were some pregnant women at the tower. They gave birth to their children only to have them taken away immediately. The women were sent back to work just a day or two after being checked to make sure they'd still be able to work.

Those women you're seeing are the equivalent of wet nurses. They keep the kids alive until they're able to be put to work. I'm betting these boys don't even have a proper image of their real mother."

"That's disgusting!" Cana cried, her hands over her mouth.

"Those poor boys." Evergreen whispered.

"Kaleb, they're both branded as slaves… but… this boy…no… there's no way…" Cristoff frowned.

"What is it?"

"He looks _just_ like Dad."

"That's impossible Cris."

"Does Farron have a child we're not aware of then?" Vander wondered. "That boy looks just like Dad, Cris is right."

"I think you guys are reaching a little too far into how to hold on to these children." Kaleb said with a frown.

"Kaleb…" Bickslow frowned. "They're not wrong. He looks a lot like Dad- he even has a clan name. If he's not Farron's then he could be- but he…" He couldn't even finish the sentence. Even though they'd never met him, their brother Zen was still very dear and loved to all of them.

"Do you think we should take them back to your father?" Freed suggested.

"Get them aboard The Endurance and contact Dad. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can find out where they came from. I'll be back in a couple days." Vander suggested.

Kaleb sighed but nodded. "Take Presca with you. I don't want you by yourself. Not this close to Pergrande."

"It'd be easier for me alone." He mused.

"No, Vander. Take Presca. In and out."

"Fine."

"I mean it."

"Yeah, sure."

Kaleb only sighed and shook his head at the dismissive tone in his brother's voice. They were no closer to finding out why the mages were being kidnapped now than they were nearly nine weeks earlier. The boys were just another piece in an already deadly game of chess set by an unknown master.

He didn't like not knowing things. He didn't like the possibility of a ghost miraculously being resurrected. Zen had only been two years old when his father learned of his death. To know he might possibly be alive was nearly too much to hope for at the moment. It would mean either Pergrande or slavers had taken him into captivity- either one was as bad as the other.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. His eyes met the red ones of his little brother and he blinked. Bickslow only grinned.

"Come on man. Dad's gonna lose his shit if anyone besides you or Cris tells him about those kids. Lucy won't leave them alone either and I kinda want someone there who might be able to control her if she loses it too."

Kaleb chuckled. "You sound scared of her, Bix."

The seith mage rolled his eyes. "You get your ass kicked to hell and back and see if you like it." He groused. The mirth left his eyes almost as soon as it emerged, however, and he sighed. "Either way, we need to get aboard. The captain is getting antsy."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there."

Kaleb frowned and watched Bickslow saunter up the ramp of The Endurance. He didn't like that his brother was still hurting as much as he pretended he wasn't. Even Lucy was doing a horrific job of covering the emotional rollercoaster she was riding, and he didn't like that Cana was so smug about all she'd done to wrong both Bickslow and Lucy- regardless of how she'd talked with Freed and Evergreen not an hour earlier.

He'd simply have to deal with one headache at a time. Maybe a trip to the bathhouses would ease the tension in him.


	13. Chapter 13

12

Lucy stirred when the quiet of the room was broken by panicked whimpers. Her brown eyes opened and focused on the youngest of the two boys, Adri, in the bed beside her. Instinct took over, and without much thought, her hand was carding through his blacker than night hair as she soothed away his nightmares with a gentle touch. The old lullaby her mother always sang to her floated from her lips, easing the boys' fears, lulling them once again into slumbers embrace.

_Land of bear and land of eagle_

_Land that gave us birth and blessing_

_Land that called us ever homeward_

_We will go home across the mountain_

_We will go home, we will go home, _

_We will go home across the mountains_

_We will go home, we will go home_

_We will go home across the mountains_

_Land of freedom, land of heroes_

_Land that gave us hope and memories_

_Hear our singing, hear our longing_

_We will go home across the mountains_

_We will go home, we will go home, _

_We will go home across the mountains_

_We will go home, we will go home_

_We will go home across the mountains_

_Land of sun and land of moonlight_

_Land that gave us joy and sorrow_

_Land that gave us love and laughter_

_We will go home across the mountains_

_We will go home, we will go home, _

_We will go home across the mountains_

_We will go home, we will go home_

_We will go home across the mountains_

_When the land is there before us_

_We have gone home across the mountains_

_We will go home, we will go home_

_We will go home across the mountains**_

"You're really good at that, you know." A feint whisper danced through the silence into her ear.

She had the sense not to jump as her head turned sharply to her left. Brown met red and she gave Bickslow a small smile. Her attention turned back to the bed for a few more minutes, until she stilled her hand once the boys' breathing evened out again.

"How long have you been in here?" She wondered, her attention now fully on him where he sat in the comfortable looking armchair near the bed.

"Long enough to know that sitting up straight as a pine tree can't be too comfortable."

She offered him a small smile. "No, it's really not."

"Also, long enough to know that you're attached to those two. I can see your soul, Cosplayer."

Lucy swallowed thickly. He was right, she felt protective of the two, and those feelings were only growing by the minute. "That's true."

"I can see theirs too. It's not just one-sided."

Lucy swallowed and nodded. She still felt so sure that he'd hate her for almost kissing him that the silence that stretched between them now felt increasingly awkward and painful. She missed the months of easy friendship they'd built before that day on the beach behind his dad's house.

Bickslow sighed. "Cosplayer… Lucy… are we going to avoid each other forever now?"

"We're not avoiding each other Bickslow. We've just been… busy." It was lame, even to her own ears.

Another sigh left the seith mage's lips. "Look… I… and you… what happened on the beach… it just… we're… I don't want…"

Bickslow blinked when a hand closed gently over his lips. _How did she move so fast?_ "Don't worry about it, Bix… you're still my best friend…" She had to look away to keep him from seeing the tear falling down her cheeks, so she focused on the boys now curled together in the bed.

"Yeah… friends…" Bickslow's heart sank. She surely couldn't feel for him what he felt for her. He'd always just be a friend to her. That much was obvious now.

Vander shook his head from the shadows. _These two could be the next Tristan and Isolde! Just, you know… without the whole engagement to a king!_

_I don't disagree with you, Van. There's clearly chemistry there if they'd bother to open their eyes to it! Our big brother is a seith mage dammit! Surely, he has to see the connection between them!_

_Settle down you two. If we push them before they're ready, it'll do more harm than good. Wait until we're home before either of you try anything. I mean it. _No shenanigans_. _

_Aww, Kaleb, you're no _fun_ at all!_

_You mean, I can't walk in on them right now to check on the boys again?_

Kaleb rolled his eyes. _If you must. Remember, leave well enough _alone_!_

Cristoff snorted. He knocked softly on the door and peered around the crack he'd made while opening it. "Hey, you're awake. I didn't want to just barge in, but I wanted to check on the boys again."

Lucy smiled. "Hey Cris, come in, please!"

"How are they? How are you two as well?"

Bickslow rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. I keep telling you this." Cristoff had been a mother hen since the teams set foot on the Endurance, going from person to person nearly once an hour, checking on them.

Lucy smiled indulgently. "I'm better than I was, thank you. These two have woken up twice now with nightmares… but they've gone back to sleep pretty easy."

"Oh? How did you accomplish that?" Cristoff frowned and pushed his magic through the toddlers. Nothing had changed physically. "And why didn't you call me, I can force them to sleep, you know."

"Cosplayer sung both of them back to sleep and even did that thing she does on the trains for Laxus and Cobra when they go on missions together."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I just ran my fingers through their hair." She shrugged. "It's nothing special. It takes their minds off the motions of the trains."

Cristoff smiled and nodded. He silently agreed with Laxus and Cobra- having someone run their fingers through ones hair felt almost otherworldly. "It's nice to see you two talking again."

_Cris… stop it._

"Yeah, well… we're not chasing after dead end leads anymore… there's time to catch up." Lucy said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Hm, true… but you won't find that time if you're cooped up here with two babies who need their sleep too. You need time to relax too, you know."

_Cris… I won't say it again!_

"Why don't you two go get something to eat. I'm sure the galley is quiet enough to talk. And you two definitely look like you could eat!"

_Sorry Kaleb. I'm _tired_ of seeing Bickslow hurting so much and I can practically _feel_ the pain radiating from Lucy._

_Not even fair Cristoff!_

Bickslow narrowed his eyes at his brother while moving to stand by Lucy. He knew when his brother was up to something- he had a certain twinkle in his eyes.

_What are you doing, Cris?_

_Making sure you two eat?_

_Stop playing games man. It's not the time for it._

When all he got from the burly dragon slayer was a toothy grin, he huffed and promised his little brother he'd figure out what was going on soon. He didn't like being the center of any of his brothers' schemes. It usually didn't bode well for him in the long run.

"Come on Cosplayer. Cris will let me know if they wake up again and I'll bring you back right away." He sighed. "He's right, we need to eat."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah… I guess you're right. Thank you Cris… just please… they're scared, and I want to help them… I know what it's like to be that scared..."

"I'll watch after them, I promise you." He nodded. His smile softened when their eyes met, and he saw the relief in her brown irises. He didn't know her story, nor did he understand how she could understand their fear- from what Bickslow told her anyway- but he could see that she cared for them.

_I told you to leave well enough alone. Now he's going to be suspicious of us all._ Kaleb huffed.

Cristoff only chuckled. _He'll thank me in the long run. Now, have you gotten any new information about these two yet?_

Kaleb sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. _No, nothing. I just started looking though, and Dad knows we're bringing them back with us. He's getting a room set up for them already._

_That might not be wise unless it's got a queen size bed. Lucy is attached to them already; I doubt she'd let us keep them separate from her for too long._

_You noticed that too. I don't even know where to start… I want the implications to be false… I just don't want to give Dad false hope._

_We all do, Kaleb. _Cristoff sighed as he eyed the two toddlers, huddling together for comfort and support.

Lucy sighed as she made her way down the hall to find food. "Do you think I'm crazy for being so protective of them, Bix?"

"Nah… you've got a huge heart, Cosplayer. Your ability to love someone the instant you meet them is a huge blessing."

"It can be a curse too…" She huffed, thinking of a few previous boyfriends.

"Eh, true… but it makes you a stronger mage, I think." He mused as he guided her to a table and chairs close to where there was a buffet stand set out in the dining hall.

Her head tilted to the side in confusion. "How so?"

"Your abilities are based on intentions, right?"

"More or less, yeah."

"Well, the way you love those around you, the way you honor each and every person- be it a spirit or otherwise- and keep your promises, no matter what, is all fueled by how deeply you love." He explained as he gathered two plates of food.

Her eyebrow raised. "I'd never thought of it that way before."

"Well, if you didn't think so highly of your spirits, you'd have easily ignored Loke's plight all those years ago when he was about to die. You would have never defeated Angel when you first met her either, because those spirits wouldn't have seen how deeply you cared for them even though they weren't yours."

Lucy smiled and took her plate from him when he sat down. "Cobra's right, you know."

His eyebrow arched. "Gonna finish that statement?"

"You really are a soul doctor." She giggled madly when he pouted.

The rest of their impromptu dinner was passed with laughter and teasing. The mounting tension from the past weeks disappeared and they fell right back into their easy friendship. By the time she admitted she was tired, Cristoff was calling Bickslow through his mental connection to tell him the boys were once again awake, and while they weren't crying, the definitely wanted Lucy.

Bickslow only sighed. At least he had his friend back.

_** I don't own the song, only borrowed it for the likes of this chapter._

_Last I checked- and please correct me if I'm wrong because I want the right people associated with it- the song (this part I know is right) is from the movie King Arthur and its creator is Caitlin Matthews (but this part I'm not 100% sure of)_


	14. Chapter 14

13

Loud, panic induced screams filled the Pradesh estate, causing Lucy to sigh. She was thankful now that she'd asked Freed to walk through the house earlier and soundproof each room so no one would lose any sleep if the boys woke screaming during the night. She could just _hear_ Erik grumbling about sniveling brats and the loss of sleep already. She didn't realize that there were a few occupants in the house not able to sleep at all though, or she would have closed her own door to prevent any undue stress.

Arman stood in the doorway, taking in the scene with shocked wonder, as Lucy gently cradled the younger of the two boys to her chest. The boy could be his son's double! He swallowed thickly when he caught her humming a lullaby she should not know. The same look crossed Farron's face as well, both men closing their eyes briefly against the memories of a time before the most important woman in their lives was brutally ripped from them.

It took Arman nearly ten minutes to recall that Ganier and Layla were friends while Layla was alive- a fact he'd gleefully shared with Lucy when she'd first met the man. It was her father who forbid any contact after Layla passed away. Jude's hatred for anything to do with celestial magic festered all the more potently when Ganier offered to help teach Lucy to wield her magic in Layla's place. He slammed the door closed on what Arman could only imagine would have been a strongly bonded friendship between both families and only caused his own daughter nearly unbearable pain and suffering.

It was ironic, that after so much time trying to keep the families apart, Lucy would end up in a guild with one of his children and befriend him as well. It seemed their families were destined to be together after all. Arman only sighed and relaxed.

"She's so gentle with those boys." Farron said quietly from where he stood observing the blonde.

Laxus grunted, though he couldn't hide his grin. "She's always been good with kids… you should see her with the brats in the guild. Romeo and Wendy both adore the ground she walks over."

Freed nodded. "Don't forget Asuka. She loves Lucy like a second mother. She was the go-to for Bisca when she needed a babysitter. The woman swore time and time again Lucy was a natural mother."

"It's because of her huge heart. She shits rainbows and sparkles and dreams of damn unicorns." Cobra sneered. "Her room is painted pink for fuck's sake!"

Bickslow swallowed thickly. While the others discussed the maternal aspects of the blonde mage, he was trying his hardest not to stare at what she'd chosen to sleep in for the night. The short skirts and tight tops he was used to, sure, but seeing her in one of _his_ old shirts he'd worn as a boy- _he was going to kill his brothers_\- and the short sleep shorts was playing hell on his imagination. It wasn't his normal overactive sort of fantasy either; no, his brain had to tease him with thoughts of a life and kids with her- of _marrying_ her.

"I love that she's so willing to help them, but she'll make herself sick with the amount of stress and lack of sleep. She needs to rest more..." Cristoff huffed.

"Tink's too stubborn to do that. If they're hurting, she won't stop til they get better." Cobra huffed. "She did the same thing for me when she weaseled her way into my life."

"Yeah, because you're complaining about it. Your dragon loves it." Laxus snorted.

Cristoff smirked. After spending time with her on the airship home, he could finally see just why she had so many dragon slayers wrapped around her little finger. She'd added the Lunar dragon slayer to that number as well as his dragon took her as kin. "I doubt either of you really complains about the love she showers you with."

"She feels responsible for them. She found them and she knows they trust her." Kaleb mused after listening to her internal monologue.

Freed agreed. "Logically that makes the most sense. They're scared of most everyone else who comes into the room, but she can make them smile and even get the older one- er, Bastian- to speak every now and then." He offered. "The little one- Adri- still shies away from the men who enter the room... all save Bickslow and Cobra." He ducked the hand that swatted towards the back of his head and hid a grin. At least his friend was present enough to retaliate.

"Momma!" Adri whimpered.

"Shh, it's alright, Adri." Lucy soothed. "It was just a bad dream, that's all."

"Momma!" He tried again, frustrated tears gathering in his little eyes.

Lucy's heart broke as she gathered him in her arms more securely. "Hush now. It'll be alright. Lay down and close your eyes, it'll get better, I promise."

"Momma's gone." Bastian muttered.

Arman, Farron, Kaleb and Cobra winced at the agony of that statement. They heard more than just the words spoken. Even Bickslow winced- the boys' soul was in near torment for someone so young.

Lucy turned her chocolate eyes onto Bastian, brushing the baby fine strands of blonde hair from his face and forced herself to smile. The boys were similar in some ways, but each was subtly different.

"Not gone in the way you'd think. Momma's always gonna be close to you… you just won't be able to always see her." She knew they probably didn't understand her, but she wanted to at least give them some kind of comfort. "She's here now." She pointed to their chests, fingers tapping gently over their little hearts. "Always. I promise."

Lucy assumed they came from at least one parent in common and she could only guess their birth mother. Erik told her that the women in the tower were constantly raped by the guards and not cared for if they fell pregnant, but while it infuriated her to no end, Kaleb explaining that the females in Pergrande were treated as nothing more than brood mares just broke her heart. She cooed softly to the boys, easing the tension from their limbs, coaxing them back into slumbers care.

"My momma?" Adri wondered, turning dark blue eyes onto Lucy with a glimmer of hope.

"Please?" Bastian added.

The question sent Lucy reeling. She felt responsible sure, but, to be their _mother_? _They thought _she_ was their mother_? She couldn't do that to them! She wasn't even settled herself. She had nothing to offer to these two precious and beautiful little lights. She'd lay down her life to keep them shining bright, but she wasn't sure she could give them the best of what they deserved in life.

Arman smiled, having heard the thoughts clear as day, even without Kaleb having to voice what she thought of their simple request. It was the truest sacrifice of any parent- raising a child when one didn't feel worthy of the task.

He cleared his throat gently so as not to scare the three. Lucy blinked and looked to the doorway where so many stood watching her. She smiled nervously, prepared to defend the boys tooth and nail if anyone accused the two for their lack of sleep.

Arman, Farron and Kaleb all smiled in amusement at the silent declaration. Cobra snorted and muttered all she'd said to the rest of those gathered.

Laxus smirked- his kin was a spitfire alright. "Told you." He muttered to Cristoff. "She'd have been a hell of a dragon slayer."

Arman held his hands up in surrender. "We wanted to make sure you were all ok, that's all, my dear. May I come in?" He asked.

"It's ok boys. He's a good man. He'll keep you safe."

"Promise?" Bastian eyed Arman, fighting the spell of sleep Lucy was already weaving.

"Cross my heart." Arman mimed and offered the boys a tender smile.

Lucy smiled herself and kissed the boys' foreheads, watching their eyes slowly close as they fell back into slumber's sweet embrace. "They're still having nightmares."

Bickslow stepped into the room slowly. "We could help Cosplayer. Cris can put them to-"

Lucy held a finger to her lips, smiling as the boys finally relaxed their grip on her. She left Leo and Virgo to keep silent vigil on the two and motioned everyone from the doorway. If they were going to have this conversation, it was best had away from the boys. Arman couldn't help but admire the girl more and more.

"We've found nothing on their parents so far, just more questions." Arman said gently when they were sitting behind the closed door of his study. "My sons came to me with a disturbing theory indeed as soon as you all landed… and I dread to think it possible."

Lucy's head tilted in confusion.

Arman smiled. "I wonder, has Bickslow ever told you the story of my wife? I know I've told you she and your mother were friends, but has he ever spoken of her?"

"He told me she died when Farron was little… that she always wanted a big family and you kept her dream alive by adopting Bickslow and his siblings."

"Ganier was…the love of my life. She was beautiful and vivacious. She loved children and she loved to laugh too- much like your own mother, my dear. Losing her… it nearly killed me. I didn't just lose her though… we had two sons at the time of the attack on the embassy. My second son, Zen, was with her when the walls exploded. I was simply told there was nothing left of him."

"That's horrible. I'm so sorry." Lucy had tears in her eyes at the thought.

"I have believed it all these years… until seeing the youngest of those boys. My son's all swore he looked much like I did as a boy, but, seeing him now…"

Arman handed Lucy a framed picture and she gasped. Sitting behind the glass, was a smiling replica of the baby sleeping in her bed upstairs. "But this is…"

"Yes, that is my son, Zen."

"I can do the paternity test to be sure." Cristoff whispered. "If it's alright with you, Lucy."

She frowned. Why would they bother to ask _her_? If they were right, then Adri was Arman's grandson- legally his charge by _blood_. She had no say in any of it.

"But you do." Kaleb grinned when her eyes cut sharply to his. "I know Bickslow has already told you he sees how attached they are to you already, but we can all see it as plain as the noses on our faces. In just a matter of hours, you were taken with those boys." He said with a gentle smile. "It's only been a day and they have both claimed you as their mother. To gain that level of trust from a child after such traumatic events is a great feat, and a _clear_ picture of your character Lucy."

"I don't want them hurt…Bix said my soul is reaching for them because I feel like I can protect them…" She finally said.

"I promise, I can make them sleep first, they'd never feel a thing." Cristoff said.

"Ok… please… just be careful." She watched as Cristoff and Farron left the room before exhaling slowly. He promised them ten minutes- the blessings of magic to speed through the process- and they'd all know for sure.

Arman smiled. "I heard what they asked of you, Lucy."

"I can't take them from you if they're family." She protested.

"And I can't take them from the woman they've chosen as their mother, not once she has promised them to try." He grinned.

She blinked in awe at him. He was amazing. He'd gotten her to admit what she'd already known she'd agree to do without saying a word. She hadn't promised them aloud, but in her heart, she wanted to give them the world already.

"So, you're going to take them in then?" Laxus wondered.

"Would you hate me if I said yes?"

"Nah, we'd respect you all the more, Cosplayer."

"I'm _not_ babysitting!" Cobra sneered.

Kaleb grinned. The poison dragon slayer was mentally planning to spoil them rotten. Even Laxus was on board with Lucy becoming a mother.

The grins faded when Cristoff came back to the room. He swallowed thickly. "I put them into a deep sleep before anything was done. They won't wake until morning." He finally muttered.

"And the results?" Arman pressed.

Farron couldn't look his father in the eye, still too shocked to speak. That little boy was his _blood_. Not enough markers to be his child, but enough similar to prove that he was a remarkably close relation.

"Zen's alive."

Lucy's hands went to her lips and tears welled in her eyes. Who could be so cruel?

"Boys… you know what this means?" Arman asked.

Bickslow sighed. "The same people behind all these attacks on mages… all these experiments… have Zen or know who does." He growled.

"We're getting him back. There's no question about it. We're going to find him and get him back." Farron growled out. Years, his family had suffered. Years his father had let himself harbor guilt and anguish. And years, they'd kept his little brother captive somewhere.

Kaleb knelt in front of his father; his head bowed. "I will devote my most trusted mages to looking for clues. We'll bring him home."

"You have the backing of Fairy Tail as well. Whatever we can do to help you, we'll do it." Laxus promised.

Arman smiled at those gathered around him, each face set and determined. "It's late. We've had a lot of important information laid on our heads. I think we should retire for the night and make plans first thing in the morning."

One by one, the group filed from the doorway of the study, intent on curling up under the covers of their beds and finding sleep. Lucy was anxious to check on the toddlers in her care, hoping she could forget for a few hours the dismal circumstances they came to her from.

"_Lucy, I wonder if I might talk to you a moment in private?" Arman asked._

_The blonde nodded and watched in fascination as runes glowed brightly once the door to the study where they'd all gathered closed. The Pradesh patriarch turned and smiled at the girl. He admired her strength and her large heart. Her ability to love is what drove others to want to be around her. He'd seen it with all his children, and most of those who met her from the White Sea guild._

"_What can I do for you, Mr. Pradesh?"_

"_Please, call me Arman. Now, I'm going to let you in on a little-known secret, just between you and me. Can I trust you to keep it?" _

"_I promise you I'll keep it." _

"_Very good. Now, come, have a seat beside me my dear. What I have to tell you is best heard while sitting down. You know my sons all have unique abilities. Vander is a shadowquip mage, who is in fact in this room when he is most definitely not supposed to be-" Arman sighed at his youngest son._

_Vander melded from the shadows and shrugged. He already knew his father was going to interfere with Bickslow's love life. "Can't help it… sorry."_

"_No matter. Now, where was I?"_

"_You were telling me about your sons' abilities." Lucy grinned. _

"_Right. Yes. Cristoff is a lunar dragon slayer, and a healer. I'm sure you know Kaleb is an immensely powerful mindbender mage. Farron is a sound mage- a powerful one in his own right. That leaves my poor Bickslow. His ability is unique to his magic: seeing a person's soul, touching it, manipulating it. What he doesn't know, is that, he falls in love just as uniquely._

_Very few books now exist that contain the specifics of seith magic. I have the last full set in existence, and it's guarded jealously. Within those books, I've read that a seith mage will only fall in love just once… they can have a relationship with someone, but it would be one sided, unless it was with the person chosen to be with them. He can feel deep compassion for someone, and even love them, but it would be a kind of surface love. It isn't the same soul deep, yearning love that often draws people together."_

"_You mean, like a soul mate?"_

"Exactly_ like a soul mate." Arman grinned. _

"_You see, my son doesn't know it, but he's already met his."_

_Lucy bit her lip to try and quell the tears. No wonder he couldn't love her. "I see…"_

"_Oh geez! Dad!" Vander huffed. "You're not explaining it right!"_

_Lucy winced. She didn't know if she wanted to hear the rest._

"_Starshine… it's __**you**__! His perfect match is _you_!"_

_The blonde blinked at them. "I'm sorry? You've got to be joking with me!" She couldn't dare to hope._

"_I wouldn't joke about this. Lucy, I promise you, he's very much in love with you."_

"_Why are you telling me, not Bix?"_

_Vander snorted. "Because, Starshine, he's terrified he'll somehow fuck up your friendship. Not that it's not already on the rocks now as it is."_

"_Vander, you're sweet, but he doesn't see me that way. When we almost-" She sighed. "He just doesn't see me that way."_

_Arman eyed Vander, the warning clear in his look. "I'm going to send my son to you, Lucy. Talk to him. Decide for yourself what the truth is."_

_She nodded and they left the room, the silence drifting over her like a thick fog. As the seconds ticked by, Lucy stood and moved to the window, trying to distract herself from the chaotic thoughts rolling through her head. Bickslow had a soul mate… she was that soul mate? He _loved_ her? Did he even _know_ she was his soul mate? _

_Bickslow swallowed and watched Lucy from the doorway. Farron and Kaleb had corralled him, much as their Dad had done to Lucy, and pestered him to search her soul- really search it. He'd never looked for a connection between their souls, he didn't want to be disappointed if he didn't find what he wanted to see. He'd always hoped he'd find his better half. Part of him still thought he was dreaming, hoping beyond hope Lucy was said better half._

"_Hey Cos- Lucy…"_

_The blonde jumped and Bickslow chuckled. It was rare to sneak up on her anymore. She smiled and nodded towards the sofa. "I uh… your Dad and I…"_

"_Yeah, I figured he'd say something to you…"_

"_Actually, it was Vander. He got mad because I thought your dad was trying to tell me to keep away from you."_

_His eyes widened in shock. "Dad's not like that. He's just protective- and a little meddlesome. Lucy look um… can I… can I try something with you? Would you trust me?"_

_Her smile came easily across her lips. "You know I trust you, Bix. I'll always trust you!"_

"_Give me your hands?" He smiled when she slowly placed her hands in his. "Don't look away from me, kay?"_

_Lucy nodded, watching as his red eyes faded to green. She forced herself to remain calm, despite the fact she could feel her heartbeat pounding against her chest. She felt his magic then, her breath hitching as the warmth of it spread through her._

_Bickslow was in awe. The deep hues of green he'd always associated with his own soul were now tinted with amber and gold threads. Woven together like a blanket, each piece was perfectly placed to give him the only confirmation he needed. She was his, and he was most definitely hers. Her own golden soul, woven through with amber and green strands connecting them for the rest of their natural lives, was enough to render him nearly speechless with joy._

_The connection receded gradually, leaving them both feeling slightly bereft and cold. They both swallowed thickly and leaned towards one another. Lucy whimpered when their lips finally met, allowing the floodgates of tension and pent up desires lose, before climbing into the seith mages more than open arms. So, _this_ was what it was like to be kissed by someone you loved? She'd never let him go now. _

_Not after this._

Kaleb shook his head and pulled the blankets tighter around the sleeping celestial mage. He'd asked Cristoff to force her into the same deep sleep as the boys, knowing the stress of all that had happened was weighing heavily on her. He couldn't help but hearing and _'seeing'_ her dreams. It was clear she was pining for his little brother, and Bickslow was no better. Now, he just had to find a way to convince them they didn't have to pine away. He only hoped they could complete this mission soon. He'd devote all his time to helping his little brother then. After they found his big brother.

_Ugh. Bring on the headaches_. 


	15. Chapter 15

14

Alti growled at the guards defiantly as another punch connected against her solar plexus. She'd shown them time and again over the last several months in captivity that her spirit wouldn't be broken by any means. She was as defiant now as she'd been when they threw her into her first cell. Her instincts honed and enhanced with the number of women they surrounded her with until they'd moved her to a solitary cell closer to the gladiators.

As a rule, the men and women were kept on separate floors because it riled the gladiators too easily, but for her they made an exception- much as the scientists had learned how much her annoyance grew with her close proximity to the berserkers. They found it hilarious that she had to deal with demeaning cat calls, and crude remarks day in and day out. With her away from the other women, she was slightly quieter and more relaxed, more subdued in a sense, so it was a bonus for the guards on duty who were charged with feeding her and making sure she was still alive.

It wasn't until she'd almost torn through her own cage after seeing her friend, Ariana, nearly raped by a gladiator that they placed them together again in the same cage. The guards found it incredulous that she'd fight so hard to save the life of a useless lump of flesh, but they didn't want to lose any more guards (which is what happened as soon as her cell door was opened) due to snapped necks.

She was still ordered to serve and clean the gladiators, but now the guards found it amusing to leave even the most dangerous of the fighters unchained. They made her fight for food, for time alone, for peace and when they learned how protective she'd become of Ariana, they made her fight to protect the girl as well.

"Please stop it! Just leave her alone! She's hurt!"

Alti gasped in air and shook as she stood, fighting the waves of nausea and dizziness that threatened to force her into submission. She'd handicapped a gladiator the day before and he'd just died in his match. Now his master was out for blood- hers.

"Shut up bitch. It'll be your body we take our aggression out on next." A guard sneered.

He never saw her fist coming until he was thrown away from Ariana. Alti had positioned herself in front of the girl and the look on her face was murderous. "You'll go through me first and I have no problem fighting dirty."

"You won't be able to fight all of us, bitch."

"Unfortunately, there's no time. We need to move the new gladiators. Save your anger and stress for her afterwards."

Laughter and jeers surrounded them as the cell door slammed closed, encasing the girls in muted darkness. Ariana held fast to her friend as she swayed on her feet, guiding her to sit on the palate they shared. Tears ran freely down her face as she took in the welts and open wounds across the girl's arms and stomach where they'd whipped and beat her.

"Alti… please don't antagonize them anymore. They won't hold back forever." Ariana whispered.

Alti chuckled breathlessly. "Don't be such a scaredy-cat. They can't touch me without at least an entire unit of fully outfitted soldiers, and they know it by now. They're too scared of me."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they always use long range weapons to subdue me first. Only when I'm on the ground already do they pounce. Two guards to hold my arms, two for my feet, one to hold my head still, and still more to hurt me." Her eyes closed as her breathing evened out. "I'm sure they'll send me to my death soon, but not today." She muttered.

"Alti?! Hey, come on! Don't talk like that!" Ariana shook her friend when she saw her eyes close, fighting off the panic welling in her mind.

"Let the girl sleep." A voice grizzled from beside them. "She's either brave or stupid for fighting like she does, but she's earned it, so let her sleep."

Ariana's eyes moved to the next cage where a male maybe four years their senior sat, cradling his arm. He was a new fighter, brought in from a different stadium to replace one who'd died not three days earlier.

"I'm terrified she won't wake up again." Ariana whispered.

The man huffed a laugh. "We're all terrified of that." He winced as he moved to reposition himself. "Not her though… no… she's terrified for _you_. Are you siblings?"

She shook her head. "No… we could be… but I'm not Boscan…" She giggled quietly. "I'm not brave like her."

"She's foolish in her bravery."

Ariana eyed him as he winced again, frowning when she saw the gash across his forearm. "You're still hurt…"

"Mm… I lost my match to the berserkers. The crowd likes my looks, so I got away with being raped but not healed." He sneered.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked him over. She'd seen many of the gladiator's skirting death in such a manner. "Can you move over here? I can clean your arm for you."

His eyebrow arched and amber colored eyes met green. She offered him a tender smile and held up a few spare rags she'd pulled from under her palate. "Maybe your friend isn't the only foolish one." He mused before slowly inching towards her.

"Where are you from? You don't seem to hate women the way some gladiators do."

"I was caught two years ago in Minstrel. They offered money to fighters in an underground fighting ring. I needed the money for my mother, she was sick and dying, so I signed my name to a few fights. The more I fought the more money I earned and the more attention I got as well." He huffed and finally made his way to her.

"You were misled then. I've heard of such places from some of the women here." Ariana smiled sadly. "Can you straighten your arm?"

He swallowed the pain and nodded. "How do you know to do this?" He asked.

"This one," she nodded her head to Alti, "taught me. She gets hurt way too many times by the guards. She's a favorite to beat frustrations out on. A few times they've dislocated something, and I've had to help her. At least you'll still have a fighting chance."

He watched her as she worked in silence, wondering not for the first time how such compassion was kept alive in such a harsh environment. Ariana caught him staring and fought down her rising blush.

"How are you so calm near me?" He wondered quietly.

She shrugged. "You and the Dark Eagle are alike in demeanor." She mused.

"He's had you then."

"Once. Only once. The king didn't approve of him submitting to me." She huffed.

"You must have born him a child then. I've heard rumors that the women who don't fall pregnant after a night with him are killed."

"I did. I bore a son, and those aren't rumors. I've seen many women fall to a blade because they are unable to bear a child of one of the reigning gladiators. If they spend the night with the Dark Eagle and are unable to bear a son by him, the king is especially sadistic. I've heard the women are sawed in half while still alive, or that some have been impaled on stakes while still alive. If you survive to become a great fighter, any woman you lay with who can't fall pregnant will die too."

"What a waste of life." He huffed.

She sighed and finished tying the bandages around his arm. "Don't move it too much more tonight. Be sure to try and keep that wound clear of dirt. It'll get infected otherwise."

"I didn't mean to upset you." He frowned, pulling his arm back through the bars of his own cell.

Her head shaking quieted him. "I know. It would have upset her more than me. She was born free, and she takes more offense to the lot of women in this place."

"You were born in here?" He sounded shocked.

"I was. My mother died not too long after I took my first breath. For a time, I was free of this place, but my last master sold me back here once I was old enough to bare children."

"I apologize for my lack of manners, Ms. Ariana. They call me, my lady, the Steel Wolf."

"I've heard of you from some of the other gladiators. They say you're ruthless. You don't seem ruthless to me though."

"I don't see a reason to be when I don't have to fight. In the safety of my cell, I can collect myself and remember who I was born as."

"You were a champion at Devil's Gate Stadium, weren't you?"

"I was a champion, yes. My last master couldn't keep me from killing everyone in the ring with me, so I was sold to the largest arena in business… here I'm just a new bag of bones."

Ariana sighed. "I don't see how you can be so calm about it. It's terrifying."

"The first fight is always the hardest." He mused, grimacing when he put just the right amount of pressure to make his arm scream in pain.

"How'd you know my name?" She wondered after frowning in his direction when the conversation lulled. She chastised herself for taking that long to realize he'd called her by her given name.

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "That one said your name before she passed out on the floor. It's not hard to overhear a name when it's spoken right across from you." He teased.

A blush crept to her cheeks. "I suppose not. It's nice to meet a decent man still." She grinned.

They were lost in their conversation and never noticed the cell block doors opening. The quiet was broken by a cacophony of shouts and jeers as a group of men were dragged down the hall, pulled by heavy chains towards empty cells. Ariana held her breath and listened to the closing doors: _1, 2, 3, 4… 5_. Each cell could hold a maximum of two gladiators- depending on how submissive the fighter- so there was a possibility of ten new men for the guards to put Alti with in a steel box.

"Don't let them see you afraid."

Ariana blinked and looked down where the eyes of the woman she now considered her sister blinked lazily open. "How'd you know I was scared?"

"You're too tense. Relax Ari. You make a horrible pillow when you're stressed; come to think of it, you just make a horrible pillow." Alti said with a pout.

Ariana sighed and rolled her eyes. This was a conversation they always had as well. "It's easy for you to say. You're tough enough to fend those brutes off in your sleep. I'm worried sick one of them will test your ability to fight while you're too injured to defend yourself properly. I couldn't bare it if I lost you to this place."

Alti smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I keep telling you, I'm not going to die. Not yet at least."

"You can't know that, Alti." Ariana said with a sigh, trying to hide the small smile creeping over her lips. It was an age-old argument anymore between the two.

"So, what's your toy boy's name?" Alti asked with a smirk.

Ariana's eyebrow arched. "What are you on about?"

"I heard you talking." She smirked.

"I think you got hit in the head one too many times, my friend." Ariana huffed. "Besides, he never told me his real name." She added quietly.

Alti cackled in her amusement, only to have it quelled by a sudden snarl when the cell door was wrenched open. She stood on shaky feet as two guards stepped through the door, wicked smirks dancing over their lips with hatred burning in their eyes. While Ariana gasped in fright and backed away from them as much as humanly possible, Alti stood her ground, defiant in the face of another promised beating.

"Relax, boys." A voice soothed behind them. "We're here to observe, nothing more."

"Yes sir." They agreed.

Alti's shoulder's tensed when another figure was brought into the cell with them, his arms and feet shackled with thick chains and manacles. The magic canceling cuff at his neck did little to hinder the power radiating from him as he watched the two females and waited for whatever game the guards wished to play.

"I don't expect them to be alive after this." One of the guards said with a sinister smirk.

Alti's eyes hardened as she took in the man. Like hell would he touch either one of them in such a way. She danced from foot to foot when the shackles were dropped from his wrists and pulled away from his feet, tensing when she saw the sneer across his lips.

"So, you're the bitch that has all the gladiators talking." He mused when the door slammed closed.

"I'm surprised you even deign to speak of me." Alti mused.

"Normally I wouldn't, but rumor has it, you like to fight."

"Only when I have to." She shrugged. "It seems like that's all the time anymore, but I won't complain. At least I stay fit."

"I knew a woman like you once. Met her on my travels in Joya. I laughed when my blade opened her belly. Her heart made a fine feast. I didn't know it until I was nearly beaten to death that I'd killed the youngest daughter of a war queen."

Alti rolled her eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you speak too much. A prideful man always boasts openly before his fall."

"You bitch!" He lunged for her, thinking her easy to intimidate with her small size.

He blinked the confusion out of his eyes when she jumped to grab the top of the cage and kick him backwards with her full might. He'd been told, promised even, that the women in this cell would be too weak to fight. His master had offered him weaklings on a silver platter to do with as he pleased, and now one of them had the gall to fight back. Before he'd joined the coliseum, he'd been a traveling merchant- a nobody. Once he'd won his first victory, the people had screamed his name. He'd worked his way up to the present, sitting in popularity just three slots underneath the Dark Eagle himself, and no lowly bitch with an attitude was going to steal his fame.

Alti didn't hear her friends screams, the idiots jeering challenges, the clamor from the other fighters, nor did she hear anything except the thudding of her own heart. Her breathing slowed, giving her mind time to process even as her body flew into auto pilot, blocking and dodging attacks. She never moved too far from Ariana, never giving the man before them an opening to grab her.

Her instincts told her to protect herself and her friend, and she would heed them. They'd never once led her astray, and she'd had years to hone her skills. With a single, jarring shout, she let loose the adrenaline she'd welled up inside of her. With that shout came her magic, the single cuff around her neck useless against the onslaught of magic she'd built since her initial capture. A smirk graced her lips as shadows danced free within the cage.

Silence once again met her ears as the shadows, long since suppressed due to the cuff she wore around her neck, danced over the area of the cell and beyond its bars. They encased Ariana in a protective dome, whispering assurances to Alti that her friend was safe before she moved an inch towards the biggest threat to them both within her immediate line of sight. A feral snarl more befitting a rabid dog left her lips as she danced towards him, already feeling her magic surge and leap at her command.

What should have been a drawn-out fight to the death lasted mere seconds before Alti was crouched and waiting for the cell doors to open. She wasn't counting on a dart to embed itself into her skin, nor for the world around her to slowly grow hazy as her eyes closed. She was only aware of Ariana screaming her name as they drug her from the safety of the shadows, leaving the girl alone in the blood and gore created by her own hands.


	16. Chapter 16

15

_"Alti, I don't like this. They're going to see that I'm missing, and then you'll be punished!"_

_Alti smiled and shook her head, brushing Ariana's auburn hair from her face. "Don't worry about me. You and your toy boy need to play this up though." She said, eyeing the man in the cage next to them._

_"They'll kill you if they learn of this." A deep voice rumbled. The Steel Wolf had been quiet while the girls spoke, but he felt the need to at least voice his concerns._

_"They can try."_

_"They almost did kill you! I didn't think you'd wake up after they beat you for that stunt three weeks back." Ariana huffed. She remembered the broken bones and blood after the guards left Alti in a crumpled pile on the floor. They'd re-shackled her neck and placed shackles to her wrists for added measure. _

_Alti sighed. "That's why I need you away from here. They know I can get to my shadows even though these cuffs are on me. I don't want them to hurt you or force me to hurt you."_

_"I'll do this, but I'm not going to be able to escape. The girls who say they've fallen pregnant are moved to an infirmary outside the coliseum to be tested. The doors are guarded and if the tests are positive, the girls are kept under lock and key until the birth."_

_"More to the point, how can you guarantee she'll be put with me?" _

_Alti's grey eyes rolled in annoyance. "You'll just have to win, won't you. And Ari, I have come to love you, but complain anymore about me trying to give you the freedom you deserve, and I'll wring your neck myself." _

_Ariana huffed but couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't fret. It's not that I don't trust you. I'm-"_

_"Scared?"_

_"Terrified."_

_Alti's hand rested against the cheek of her friend and a sweet smile passed over her lips. "You can do this. You're braver than you give yourself credit for. You'll have to wait the guards out. Learn their rotations. Pay attention to who keeps watch near the doors. Once your out, find a way to get to Bellum. It's going to take some time, but you can do this! There's a town to the north of the country called Deepmore. I had a room there rented at the hotel down the road from the Lupus Nocte under the name Adriel. Room number 369 Can you remember that?"_

_"Bellum. Deepmore. Adriel. Hotel down the road from Lupus Nocte."_

_"Room 369."_

_"Room 369, right."_

_"Good. Once you get into that room, look under the bed. Count the floorboards from the wall. The seven one is loose. I hid a communications lacrima there and a crystal I hauled from a traveler in a game of cards. You take the lacrima and crystal to make your way to Dawn City. That crystal is worth some serious jewel and that's the place to sell it. _

_There's a hotel there that I stayed at for a while, it's a shady place, but… the owner is decent if the price is right. Find the Black Dove. Tell the owner that Crimivos sent you, he'll let you stay in my room. There are a few shop owners that will give you odd jobs while you wait. If I'm not there within a month, well… you'll be set with the jewel from that crystal and the jobs… you'll be free."_

_"Alti, I can't do this! I'll never remember this. I'm not strong like you!"_

_"Ariana, you have to do this. You're stronger than you think you are. Now, tell me what the plan is."_

_Ariana inhaled a shaky breath and blinked the tears from her eyes. "Get out of the infirmary-"_

_"How?"_

_"Spend a week watching everything. Wait for an opportunity in between shift changes."_

_"Good. What next?"_

_"Shh. Someone's coming." The Steel Wolf hissed. He had to hand it to Alti, the plans she'd made were solid, and he hoped for both the girls' sakes that it came to fruition. _

_Alti sneered when the door to her cell was opened and a plate of stale bread was thrown onto the floor. It was the guards favorite pastime anymore- only giving them enough food for one person. She'd overheard them placing bets to see how long it would take for herself and Ariana to start fighting each other. Little did they know it would never happen. Once her friend was free, she'd do her upmost best to level the hellhole they kept her chained in._

_Ariana broke the already small portion of break in half and offered Alti one piece. The shadow mage shook her head and refused, telling the brunette she wasn't hungry. Her frown was ignored and Alti waited patiently for her to finish eating before pushing her to memorize her escape route._

_"What do you do if I don't meet you in Dawn City?"_

_Ariana's lip wobbled. "I… I go to either Bosco or get further into Fiore. But I want to go to Bosco… if… if it's alright I want to find your home…"_

_Alti drew in a breath. "You want to find my home?"_

_"I want to see the island that made you so strong…" Ariana said in a small voice. "If that's alright."_

_"Of course, it's more than alright. You'll survive, Ari. I know you will." Alti said after she placed a gentle kiss to her friends' forehead. The first time she'd done that, she'd chuckled as Ariana told her women didn't kiss other women. She'd taken the time to explain that in Bosco… none of that mattered. _

_Ariana nodded and turned to the man in the cell next to them. She'd come to see him as a friend in the last few weeks. Nothing was said between them, but she could see it in his eyes that he promised to treat her well when he asked for her. _

_"You can't let them hurt her, wolf." Ariana demanded._

_"I will try my best to keep her safe, but there are still bars between us, little one."_

_Ariana sighed. "I know… but… just… don't let her brood. Or do anything stupid."_

_"I am right here, you know." Alti mused. She blinked in surprise when Ariana threw her arms around her waist, clinging to her like a limpet on a rock at high tide. "We'll see each other again."_

_"Will we?"_

_Alti smirked. "You can't ever get rid of me now. We're family."_

_"Family?" Ariana blinked. She'd lost her family to the pits before. Her mother, she'd never known. Her boys were taken as soon as they'd inhaled their first breaths. She'd never known the meaning of family. Not until Alti. A slow grin overtook her face. _Family_. "I like the sound of that."_

_"I figured you might. You're my little sister now and forever. Now get some sleep. We have a rough week or two ahead of us and you need all the energy you can get."_

Ariana jolted awake, panic jarring her mind briefly. She fought to control her breathing and counted in her head to ease the heavy staccato of her heartbeat into a softer rhythm as she rested her hands on her lower abdomen. She'd followed Alti's instructions meticulously. She'd even made it to Dawn City without anyone so much as glancing her way twice. The first thing she'd done after her daring escape was to beg someone to remove her shackles, even going so far as to shamelessly drop Alti's name and claim her as an older sister to move opinions firmly into her favor. The rush of power that raced through her veins after they dropped to the floor nearly brought her to her knees.

She'd taken the crystal to a _reputable_ shop keeper and sold the thing, gladly taking the large amount of jewel offered. Once business concluded, she'd asked him to point her towards the Black Dove and learned why Alti had been so adamant about taking the lacrima too. With it in hand, the hotel owner allowed Ariana past the front door, and gave her a key so she could come and go as she pleased.

She spent the first week on the floor, tears in her eyes, as she prayed to whatever gods would listen to keep her sister of the heart safe.

After a month of working for a shop keeper who specialized in the distribution of deadly poisons, her world turned on its axis. It was a miracle she'd survived her first month of pregnancy undetected, but after smelling a new potion the shop keeper was experimenting with, her careful made plans of keeping her impending motherhood a secret went out the window. Instead of the sneers she expected from the man, she was offered sympathy and a look that said the older man might understand why she was hiding- Alti wasn't known for being rational when she was upset by something. He sent home for the remainder of the day and promised he wouldn't say a word about it. It was there that she'd come face to face with a man she only knew from stories.

Crimivos had improved on his tracking abilities since his time in the Bloodriver Guild. He'd followed lead after lead until he'd come to the Black Dove. When Ariana closed the door to her room, it had taken everything in her to not scream at the sight of a strange man sitting at her side table. It didn't take long for him to learn what had befallen the girl he'd fallen in love with.

He'd helped Ariana get to Bosco then, setting her up in a small apartment in Pelerno, promising to help her in whatever way he could. Once he learned all that she'd endured to find her freedom, he promised he'd take her as family too- her and the child she now carried.

"Ariana, you awake?"

_Think of the devil, and he shall appear._ "I'm up _now_."

Crimivos nodded. "Sorry I just let myself in. I got back early from my job. Hey, are you alright?"

"It's fine… I needed to wake up anyway. Kaveh asked me last night to help mind the café this morning. His mother, Jazmine, is sick and he's taking her to see a healer because she refuses to look after herself. I'm alright, by the way. I just keep dreaming of her."

Crimivos sat down on the bed beside her and nodded. "I couldn't get her out of my head for the first two months or so after she left. I'd never seen her so… helpless. I knew she was powerful, but… I don't think anyone realized just how much she kept to herself. I just wanted to tell her I wasn't mad."

"I think she was scared you'd hate her… she never said as much… but she didn't have to. She'd tell stories to me and the other women… about you…about the guild… even her home."

"She was my best friend and I loved her so much. I heard about the rest of the guild trying to track her down. They were furious that she'd killed the master and so many of us… they wanted her blood. I was proud of how she evaded them… but… I just wish she'd have contacted me somehow."

Ariana smiled and placed her hand on his. "Don't think about that. Regret only allows the pain to linger."

"Now, you sound like her."

She shrugged. "She's my family."

Crimivos nodded. He turned his attention to the door when it opened and a head full of raven hair popped through the crack. "Ariana? Are you in here?"

"I'm here Zada. I'm still in bed."

"Well, get up then lazy!"

Ariana sighed. "Mean."

"Oh! I didn't know you had a guest."

Her head shook. "It's not like that. Zada, this is my brother Crimivos. Crimivos, this is Zada… she's Jazmine's daughter and a friend of mine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Zada grinned, her eyes running appreciatively down his body.

The grin was returned as Crimivos stood. "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine." He purred, delighting in the pretty blush that dusted Zada's cheeks as her eyes danced with approval.

Ariana rolled her eyes and stripped herself on the way to her bathroom. It had taken her just a week to ignore the presence of people in her room while she dressed- or undressed- and slept. Years of sleeping in a cell or being at the mercy of men using her for pleasure had desensitized her to the feeling of eyes on her body. She only went about her morning routine and made her way down the stairs and out of her small apartment, missing the sympathetic stares of both Crimivos and Zada.

She used the ten-minute walk to the café she worked in to collect herself, taking a deep breath to settle her stomach before the onslaught of smells caused it to roll. She smiled at those patrons she recognized and waved Kaveh and his mother off as they left, calling that she hoped the woman started to feel better soon. She returned to her usual morning duties until a throat cleared and caused her to jump.

"Hey, easy there gorgeous. I didn't mean to spook ya!"

"Oh, shut up, soul doctor! You enjoyed seeing her jump."

"Fuck off, poison breath, you're the one who gets sadistic pleasure out of making infants scream in terror."

"_Boys_!"

Ariana looked back and forth between the two men and the lone female now standing in between them. As far as looks went, Ariana was willing to bet the woman hailed either from Iceberg or Fiore. There was no way that blonde hair and fair skin were a product of the Boscan tropical climate.

A snort was pulled from the lips of the man to the right of her. Ariana took him in, his height, his build, down to his maroon hair and the purple color of his one eye. Overall, he was gorgeous. The man to her left was just as gorgeous: blue and black colored hair, red eyes, lithe muscles, and tanned skin? _Yes please_.

She blinked away the thoughts. Apparently having Boscans for siblings was rubbing off on her a little too well. Then again, she could always blame the pregnancy hormones too. She mentally chided herself and turned her attention back to the guests in front of her, she'd worry about herself later.

"Sorry about them. They're a little… _salty_… without coffee first thing in the morning."

Ariana smiled. "It's alright. You three can have a seat at the bar, or if you'd like I can get you a table by the windows over there in the corner."

"Oh um… actually… we're here early to get a large booth for our friends and family."

"Well, that's alright too… how many seats do you need?"

"I think ten should about cover it."

Ariana nodded. "Yeah… we can work that. Follow me over this way. I'll get you guys some coffee while you wait." She shot a dour look over their shoulders at Zada, who'd just waltzed in to help her- the woman was supposed to be behind the bar fifteen minutes ago.

_She'd better not have fucked him in my bed. I'll murder them both._

A deep chuckle drew her attention back to the trio in front of her and she blinked. Had he actually _heard_ her?

The blonde with them must have recognized the confusion in her eyes because a moment later her hand had connected to the back of her companion's head. She smiled sweetly and explained to Ariana that he was a sound mage. He could hear her thoughts and had no scruples about keeping what he 'overheard' to himself. She made him apologize, even if the glare he gave the blonde said he wanted to cause bodily harm at the moment.

Cobra was a grouch first thing in the morning. Without coffee or something else of sustenance to help him wake up, he was more so. Having to deal with a cranky seith mage and an overly perky celestial mage too early in the morning was _not_ his idea of fun. Add in that, yes, he _had_ been on babysitting duty last night while Lucy got a few hours of sleep? Nope, he wasn't happy.

Having to apologize to the small woman behind the bar as she poured his coffee? Ehh… not his cup of poison, but if it made his kin happy? He'd suck it up.

Hearing the foul thoughts of the little flower in front of him while she tended to other patrons, well… that was perking him up at least. He sighed and chuckled again when Lucy elbowed his ribs.

"Don't worry your pretty little head. I can tune you out… but… that vicious streak of yours… it'd be fun to explore… if you're ever interested. Oh and, you might want to scrub down your couch when you get home. Legs over there didn't want to disrespect you too much, but she likes the ride she had on your brother this morning."

Ariana's mouth dropped open in shock. Lucy only sighed and shook her head while the seith mage was left to cackle with glee. He didn't stop cackling even after more of their party joined them, not caring that he was drawing attention to them, just that his good mood was restored with a few well-placed words from the poison dragon slayer.

Zada arched an eyebrow in curiosity when Ariana only huffed in annoyance after coming back to the counter. "My couch? Really?"

She shrugged. "Better than the bed."

She knew Ariana wasn't Boscan, but she'd taken to Boscan customs like a duck to water- so long as no one approached her. She'd even asked Crimivos about it after the girl left her apartment earlier, but all he'd said was she'd had a hard life and didn't want to remember it. He told her just that she was pregnant and didn't need any complications at the moment. The subject was dropped and fun was had- where it was easy to clean out of respect for her friend.

"Fair point." Ariana sighed. She wouldn't win in an argument about pleasure and where it was to be had with a Boscan.

"Oh, aren't they just the cutest little things?!"

Ariana turned her attention to the boys who'd just walked in with a man too massive to be real. His short blonde hair glistened in the sun as he scanned the room before landing on the gathering group that housed the rather boisterous man and his obnoxious friend. As he stood next to the blonde, she had to wonder if they weren't blood relatives- she'd said family after all- and she had to agree though that the boys were cute. She waited for another five minutes or so until she noticed that every seat at the table was filled. She inhaled through her mouth as a particularly strong-smelling plate of eggs was passed under her nose before telling Zada to man the counter.

She offered them a sweet smile when she reached their table again, gasping when she saw the boys' eyes. The pen in her hand hovered over the paper and her entire body shook so much so that Zada was by her side in mere seconds to see what happened to her friend. Ariana would recognize those eyes anywhere. She saw them every time she looked into the mirror.

_Alti, what do I do? Those eyes are just like mine._

It was the last thing she thought before her world faded to black. She didn't see the man with long blonde hair and white tattoos shoot his head up to stare at her as she fell. She didn't feel the large, but gentle hands, of the man with long black hair catch her before she fell.

She was lost to a world of memory and pain.


	17. Chapter 17

16

Alti hissed in pain as another sting of the guard's whip cracked against her back, rending the flesh open and bloody. For the last month, the guards had taken extreme pleasure in punishing her any way they could find, including throwing her to more than one volatile gladiator intent on raping her to within a breath of life. They'd even tried to tell her that Ariana was dead, killed in the infirmary during a miscarriage, and took pleasure as grief and horror danced in spades across her eyes. If not for her friend, the Steel Wolf- or Ciro as she called him when the guards were gone- she would have lost herself to grief.

It only took a week for her to realize they'd lied to her after overhearing a quiet conversation between two of the newer faces in the guard rotation. She'd fought them at every turn after that, refusing to cry out or scream at any measure of torture they threw her way. Even the gladiators grudgingly gave her steel resolve some measure of respect.

The stadium had come close to breaking her, but she'd proven she wouldn't be that easy to break.

"Is that all you've got? It tickles." She rasped when the whip stopped, sagging against the chains holding her in place.

"Don't get too close! Remember! She's still able to kill you. Kill the fire before you go near her. The bitch can still use magic."

Alti smirked, her eyes flashing with amusement when they landed on two of the newer guards in what she'd dubbed her torture rotation. She'd killed a few over the last month; They'd finally gotten it into their heads that the magic canceling cuffs didn't keep her magic from her entirely- her hatred of them kept the magic fires nicely lit within her body. She'd even killed a fighter or two that they'd tried to use in an effort to subdue her and they'd taken to keeping the lighting as low as possible in order to keep shadows from forming along the walls. Now any time they wanted to move her, a contingent of at least six guards entered her cell together. Two for her feet, two for her hands, one to hold her head in place and the last to blindfold her.

"Why the hell can't we just _kill_ her?"

"That would solve _everyone's_ problems wouldn't it!" Another of the guards agreed.

Alti rolled her eyes. She'd heard this complaint plenty over the last month too.

"We're to keep her alive. The king _himself_ wants to use her in an event he's putting together at the end of the summer. In the _meantime_, we get to have _fun_ watching her bleed."

The sudden bite of cold steel against her left hip wrung an unexpected hiss from her lips before she had the sense to force herself silent. "That's cute. You've changed from a feather duster to a toothpick. What's wrong boys… couldn't get it up for the fighters so you have to practice with me?"

"You little bitch!"

She chuckled even as her head whipped to the side with the force of the fist connecting to her jaw. "Was that supposed to _hurt_? It was nothing more than a love tap."

Alti's muscles tensed when she felt the tip of a steel blade pressed to her belly, the tip digging in enough to pull blood from the scratch it made. One of the guards had moved close to her before she was deemed safe and sneered down into her face. "I'll gut you like a fucking pig if you don't shut your mouth, you filthy little bitch."

She snorted. "You'd die first. I'd take so much pleasure in watching your carcass sink into the dirt."

"You fucking worm!" He snarled raising his sword.

"Anhaern Step away! Calm yourself and keep your distance from her. She's just baiting you. Leave her to rot, we've got rounds to cover. They're bringing fresh fighters in and we need to inspect them."

"She wasn't worth it anyways." Alti grunted as she was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor of her cage, the guards in a hurry to take their pleasures out on the new fighters.

The slamming of the cell door echoed around her, fading with the sounds of booted footsteps as the cellblock was locked again. Ciro sighed and shook his head, taking in the state of the woman next to him. He wasn't the only one, either. In the cell to her left, a gladiator with long black hair and purple eyes watched the two without saying a word.

"You can't keep baiting them like that." He huffed, even if his eyes gave his amusement away.

Alti struggled to sit up and shrugged. "They won't kill me. You heard them."

"They might not _have_ to." The dark-haired fighter mused.

"Meaning?" Both Ciro and Alti eyed him. This fighter in particular rarely ever made a sound.

"Your _wounds_ could kill you _for_ them. They'd have a valid excuse at that point. The king would spare their lives if you were to die due to infection."

Ciro frowned at the threat in those words. "He's right. That might be their intention at the very least." He eyed the other man- one he'd fought with in a four- way match just a month ago and grimaced.

"They'll have poisoned blades next. I've seen them carelessly use those blades on other women here who have been defiant of their wishes."

Alti arched an eyebrow. "I'm not afraid of them…"

"No one is saying you _are_ afraid. The guards and some of the other fighters are actually afraid of _you_."

She smirked. "But not you?"

The man shrugged. "Death and I are old friends I guess. It seems you are a friend as well."

She shrugged. "It's possible. So, you're a decent fighter then?"

Ciro snorted. "He's the only one I've ever walked away from thankful to be alive."

"You fought well, were we to actually have fought against one another I think things would have been different."

Even Ciro nodded. "I'd imagine they would be. You won me a night with a dear friend though and allowed us to move her plan for freedom into motion. I'm forever thankful for that."

"You're a worthy opponent." He mused. "While I didn't know about such plans, I'm happy to annoy the man who calls himself king."

"I wish they would let females fight. I'd show them worthy." Alti sighed.

"You'd probably rival the Dark Eagle." Ciro snorted.

Her eyes rolled but she grinned at her friend. "Mmm… that could be fun. Defeating the fabled unkillable gladiator."

The man beside them snorted in amusement. "He might not be so easy to defeat."

"I think I'd stand a decent chance. Gladiators fight in the sunshine. Sunshine means shadows. They'd not be able to stop me."

"No?" He'd only recently been moved closer to her cell. He'd heard rumors of her breaking her magic canceling cuffs, but he'd seen no evidence of it as of yet.

"No, these stupid cuffs take away most of my power, but I can still feel the shadows… not very well, but I can feel them." Her eyes closed and a frown danced over her lips. "It's a comfort for me, to feel my magic even for a moment anymore."

"I think I understand completely." He mused.

Ciro sighed and nodded his head in agreement, though the thought of her life finally being snuffed out disheartened him greatly. "I think you would fight until your heart burst."

"Imagine the look on king Karadin's face were you to win." The other fighter grinned.

They all snickered at the idea. "He'd be furious."

"He'd order you both killed." Ciro huffed after a moment.

"He'd have just as much trouble killing me as he would your friend there." Their companion snorted.

"What do they call you then?" Alti asked.

"In the ring, they call me the Dark Eagle. But here, between us… please, call me Zen."

Alti's eyes went wide in surprise. "You… you're the Dark Eagle?" She took in his appearance, trying to reconcile her friends description of the man she'd claimed was doting and gentle with her when they'd spent the night together in his cell.

"I am."

She snorted and shook her head in amusement. "Our friend told me to give you my respect. You gave her a son."

Zen arched an eyebrow towards her. "I'm sure Karadin loved that."

"She's alive for that reason alone." Ciro sighed. "Any females who produce a daughter after time spent with you are slated to die."

"All the more reason to leave this place in ruins." She hissed.

"Alti, please, be cautious. I couldn't bare losing you… you're something wild and precious…a friend to be sure. Don't give the guards a reason to kill you." Ciro's voice was pleading as she turned her attention back to him.

"As much trouble as I've _caused_ for king Karadin? If I _die_ before he's had a chance to _publicly_ execute me, heads are going to _roll_." She grinned when the Dark Eagle himself chuckled.

"You think that's what'll happen?"

She winced when she shrugged again. "Since I've been in this place, I've caused no less than thirty deaths."

"Quite the number you've claimed." Zen mused.

She nodded. "It's no less a fact. Sixteen of those number were guards- the idiot replacements eager to prove themselves, seven of them were berserkers they have patrolling the halls and the last seven were fighters they placed into my cell before Ariana was taken away."

"That was the night they found out your magic isn't as suppressed as it should be." Ciro grinned. "They also made the choice to keep you down here even after Ari left."

Alti nodded. "They think that by leaving me down here with the fighters it'll _scare_ me. Truth is, I'm not really afraid of much. I was born free in Bosco to Clan Aranea, I _won't_ back down from them. It'll take more than what they've done already to scare _me_."

"You're either fearless or you've resigned yourself to death before this all ends." Ciro mused.

"Exactly. Only, I don't plan on dying any time soon, Ciro."

He held up his bed roll and ripped a few long strips from it. "Come here, let me help you."

Alti smiled and slowly moved closer to him. "We'll get out of here, Ciro. I promise." She looked to her left catching Zen's eyes, "We'll _all_ get out of here alive, and soon at that. I can feel it."

"Somehow, when you say it with such conviction, I believe we will." Ciro smiled.

Even Zen sighed and a soft smile danced across his lips at the thought of freedom. It was a novelty to him he'd never thought to picture; that kind of hope was dangerous. He could only wonder what the feeling of sunshine on his back would feel like without the shackles of slavery clapped tightly around his wrists. He'd forget the feeling in the morning, but for the moment, he'd indulge his companions.

Freedom was just another lie fed to the dying, after all.


End file.
